End Canada's
License to Kill
Why does LUSH, a soap company, care about the Seal Hunt?
Our beliefs are at the heart of everything we do. LUSH firmly believes in the ethical treatment of animals and we have always taken a strong stance against animal cruelty. We are embarking on a hard hitting campaign to end the unsustainable, poorly regulated and hideously cruel Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt.
We believe that the consumer has the ability to make powerful choices everyday and this is why we are reaching out to you, our customer, to help end the Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt. Most of you shop with LUSH not only because we make wonderful handmade products for your bath, hair and body but also because of who we are and what we believe in. We believe in making products by hand, using fresh ingredients, not testing on animals, supporting our communities and protecting the planet.
Given the recent news that seal meat is being served at Canadian parliament for the first time in 110 years, this is obviously still an issue that needs to be addressed.
This year more than 15,500 Canadians have seal hunting permits, allowing the slaughtering of hundreds of thousands of seals. Governments around the globe, including the US, have spoken out against Canada's seal hunt. In May 2009, The European Union voted to ban products. The seal hunt is essentially government sanctioned cruelty to animals. Recent polls show that nearly 69% of Canadians and nearly 80% of Americans are opposed to the seal hunt. Yet, the government continues to spend millions of Canadian taxpayers dollars to help support it. Recently, The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, visited the People’s Republic of China to promote new markets for Canadian seal products. Minister Shea said "our meetings with Chinese senior officials resulted in a commitment to work together towards lifting current restrictions on the import into China of seal products." (The National Post, January 10, 2010).
Our goal is to educate, create awareness and reach out for your support to help end this cruel and needless killing. Join us, take a stand and petition along with us to end the Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt.
Sources:
Sea Shepherd
National Post - "Canada promoting seal hearts, meat, fur in China"
CBC - "Seal-meat loin on MPs' lunch menu"
How you can help!
Show your support by signing our online petition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper today
and help us end Canada’s Commercial Seal Hunt. Sign today!
( see larger version by clicking above )
Facts about the Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt:
- LUSH is not campaigning against the sealers themselves or aboriginals who depend upon it for their livelihood and survival. We are against the inhumane way the seals are killed for limited commercial gain.
- The slaughter of seals is cruel: A post mortem survey has shown that 42% of seal pups are skinned alive (about 95% of the seals slaughtered are babies less than 4 weeks old).
- It is a threat to the survival of the species and the fragile balance of the North Atlantic ecosystem: In the last four years alone, over a million harp seals have been killed.
- The survival of cod is not threatened by seals: After decades of mismanagement and the resulting collapse of the East Coast cod industry, the Canadian government has declared war on the seals in hopes that massive seal kills will bring back the cod and keep their disgruntled fishermen working. In fact, cod is not a major food source of the harp and hood seal.
- The majority of Canadians and millions of people around the world are opposing Canada's Commercial Seal Hunt
Videos
Warning: Videos contain graphic content that may be offensive to some viewers.
Final Thought from Captain Watson of Sea Sheperd
"The war against the Canadian seal hunt is more than a protest. It is a crusade to bring about harmony between the natural world and humanity. All of us who oppose it are dedicated to the protection of life and the abolition of cruelty."
From the book Seal Wars: Twenty-five Years on the Front Lines with the Harp Seals
For additional information regarding the seal hunt please visit the following links:
If you would like to provide some feedback, please contact us at saveourseals@lush.com.
