World Wildlife Fund Supports Seal Hunt - Why?
An Environmental Article from All-Creatures.org

From

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
March 2003

Would the World Wildlife Fund Have Supported the Slaughter of the Passenger Pigeon? You Bet they Would.

That’s why they support the Canadian seal slaughter today

If the World Wildlife Fund was established back in the 19th Century, they would have indeed supported both the commercial exploitation and the recreational hunting of the passenger pigeon. After all, there were millions of them, and WWF supports both the commercial slaughter and the recreational killing of wildlife.

But, of course, they would have mounted a big fund-raising effort to save the last few survivors during the first decade of the 20th Century.

Yes, the pleas would have gone out begging for money to save the passenger pigeon. The World Wildlife Fund would have led the prayer vigil for Martha, the last Passenger pigeon, as she lay dying in her cage at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.

Today they are doing this with the Harp Seal.

The WWF is supporting the increased kill quotas and has endorsed the largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet.

WHY?

The World Wildlife Fund has long been a haven for big game hunters, hunters, trappers, fur farmers, commercial fishing corporations, and other enemies of animals.

Now, the World Wildlife Fund has publicly endorsed the largest marine wildlife slaughter in the world.

This statement below is taken directly from the website of the World Wildlife Fund Canada:

What WWF is Not!

WWF is not an animal welfare organization. We support the hunting and consumption of wild animals provided the harvesting does not threaten the long-term survival of wildlife populations. WWF has never opposed a sustainable seal hunt in northern or eastern Canada.

Whoa – where does this word “sustainable” come from?

The East Coast slaughter of harp seals is not some Inuit or Native subsistence hunt.

It is a Canadian government subsidized slaughter and the quotas set for 350,000 a year for three years are the largest quotas ever established. Not since 1850, when unrestricted slaughter saw kills of a million seals a year has there been numbers like this. There is nothing sustainable about these numbers and the government has not produced one peer-reviewed scientific study to justify such numbers.

Yet, the World Wildlife Fund endorses this hunt.

The question must be asked, “Does the WWF serve the interests of the Canadian government or does it serve the interests of wildlife?” The answer is obvious.

THE SEA SHEPHERD CONSERVATION SOCIETY SUPPORTS BRIGITTE BARDOT’S CRITICISM OF THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

Famed French Film Actress Brigitte Bardot sent a letter on March 17th to Chief Emeka Anyaoku, the President of the World Wildlife Fund.

In her letter Brigitte said:

“I wish to share with you my profound indignation, deep sadness and disgust concerning the position of World Wildlife Fund Canada supporting the new quota decided by the government, the hunt of one million seals over a period of three years!

How can an organization that you preside over and that has no need to prove its reputation in the domain of the conservation of species anymore, defend such a scandalous position?

I went to the ice pack more than 25 years ago, I saw the massacre of these baby seals, their head smashed by clubs and picks, I saw these bleeding bodies, these babies struggling for life whilst being skinned… I will never forget these pictures, the screams of pain, they still torture me but they have given me the strength to sacrifice my whole life to defend the animal’s one.

I have often supported WWF, given my image to some of its programmes, and I feel betrayed, it has attacked my most symbolic battle.

It is easy and unfair to accuse the seals of consuming too much fish when, during the same period of time, floating factories decimate the sea beds, transforming this natural richness into an aquatic desert. Seals are victims of overflowing industrial fishing and definitely not responsible for the deterioration of the populations, they are also victims of the climatic changes and are directly threatened by the melting of the ice.

Our duty is to protect them before it’s too late!”

If you agree with Brigitte Bardot that this hunt is despicable and is a threat to the long term survival of the harp seal and that it’s a slaughter of abject, horrific cruelty, then please boycott WWF.

If you are a WWF member – notify them of cancellation of your membership.

Contact them and let them know what you think:

This is contact information from their website:

For questions or concerns related to membership or donations, please email [email protected].

For questions or concerns related to WWF's conservation programs, please email [email protected].

You can also reach them by mail, phone or fax:

WWF Canada
245 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 410
Toronto, ON M4P 3J1
Canada Phone: 1-800-26-PANDA
In the Toronto area: (416) 489-8800
Fax: (416) 489-8055

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