I have some great news! I want to share with you an important victory in our efforts to close European markets for seal products, a vital step to end Canada’s commercial seal hunt.
The European Parliament has issued a Written Declaration calling for a ban on the import, export and sales of harp and hooded seal products. IFAW and other groups successfully lobbied more than half of all MEPs (Member of the European Parliament) to sign the resolution which will now be forwarded to the European commission and the Council of Ministers.
A European ban will help reduce demand for seal products and send an important message to the Canadian Government that the European Union wants no part in this cruel hunt.
The import of whitecoat harp seal and blueback hooded seal furs and furskin products (taken from pups younger than 2-3 weeks) was banned in Europe in 1983, but sealers now wait a few days until harp seal pups have moulted their white fur to kill them, with 95% of the seals killed still under three months old. The products of these baby seals are still imported into the European Union.
The declaration states that the last time the annual number of seals now being killed were slaughtered in the 1950s and 1960s the seal population was reduced by two thirds. It also states that on average sealers receive less than 5% of their income from sealing which provides only a few days' work each year.
A number of EU countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy) have already taken steps to ban the trade in seal products, and others (the UK and the Netherlands) are considering their own bans.
P.S. It’s critically important that we capitalize on this victory by adding new activists to fight for baby seals. This is a great opportunity to show others that we can win this fight with their help. Can I count on you to tell five new people about our efforts to end the seal hunt?
All gifts to IFAW represent a contribution to IFAW's entire mission. Donations will be used where they are most needed to help animals.
Worried about Donating online? I used to be too ... so I made sure our online system is safe, secure, and state-of-the-art. It also eliminates check-processing costs, so more money goes directly to saving animals. But if you prefer to donate by phone or mail, simply click here for address information.
NOTE: To make sure you continue to receive further emails from IFAW, please add fred@ifaw1.org to your email Address Book. If you use a spam filter program, please assign this address a status of “safe” or “trusted.” If you have an AOL, Hotmail, MSN or Yahoo email address, this is particularly important as we receive many “bounce backs” from these email addresses.
PO Box 193 • 411 Main Street Yarmouth Port, MA 02675 www.ifaw.org
To prevent mailbox filters from deleting mailings from Fred O'Regan, International Fund for Animal Welfare, add fred@ifaw1.org to your address book.
Alison Des Forges - A
Tribute
February 13, 2009
(New York) - It is with
enormous sadness that
Human Rights Watch
announces the death of
our beloved colleague Dr.
Alison Des Forges, who
was kil...
[] There comes a
point in your life when
you realize who matters,
who never did, who
won't anymore... and who
always will. So, don't
worry about people from
your past, there's a
reason why they didn't
make it to your future.
Give this hear...
Health, Justice and
Sustainability News
Tidbits with an Edge!
Written and edited by
Craig Minowa and Ronnie
Cummins
Consumer and Farmer
Victory!
Monsanto Finally Forced
to Dump rBGH
The Miracles of
MonsantoMonsanto
announced on August 6 it
will ...
"War is not the answer"
Friends Committee on
National Legislation
245 Second St. NE,
Washington, DC
20002-5795
fcnl@fcnl.org *
http://www.fcnl.org
phone: (202)547-6000 *
toll-free: (800)630-1330
We seek a world free of
war and the threat of...
An Indian court has ruled
for the first time that
consensual gay sex is not
a crime, signalling an
historic breakthrough for
the country’s
largely closet homosexual
community, as well as
anti-HIV/Aids
campaigners.
Under a British colonial
law,...
Words hypnotize and
deceive everyone at one
time or another, but
these hypnotic words
cannot last long in the
hearts of true warriors."
--Barney Bush, SHAWNEE We
are a part of an
interconnected system.
Words in themselves have
no meaning. It is the
s...
When we first heard the
rumors that Sea Shepherd
might add the sleek,
biodiesel-fueled
powerboat called
Earthrace to their
efforts — we wanted
to believe. But
seriously, would it be
possible? Could an
anti-whaling organization
land something ou...
United States Parole
Commission5550 Friendship
Blvd., Ste. 420Chevy
Chase, MD 20815-7286
(Insert Date)
Re: LEONARD PELTIER
#89637-132
Dear Commissioners,
I am writing in behalf of
support for Parole for
Leonard Peltier. While I
am aware of the s...
Dear Ms. Rhoads:
Thank you for writing me
regarding the Senate's
work to reform our health
care system. It is good
to hear from you.
There is no question that
reforming health care is
one of the most critical
challenges facing our
c...
Tribute: You gotta meet Molly....pony who survived Hurricane Katrina! by Rebecca R.
(0 comments
|
discussions
)
— Meet Molly.She's a grey
speckled pony who was
abandoned by her owners
when Hurricane Katrina
hit southern Louisiana.
She spent weeks on her
own before finally being
rescued and taken to a
farm where abandoned
animals were
stockpiled.While there,
she w... more
Tribute: A Legend Now Rests In Peace by Linda M.
(0 comments
|
discussions
)
— http://www.imeem.com/arti
sts/michael_jackson/music
/y4WBGV8C/michael-jackson
-i-just-cant-stop-loving-
you/What a ride it was
for this young boy who
grew up to be a World
Icon in the music
industry. The abuse
and overuse of
prescription drugs is
be... more
Jun 30
Tribute: THANK YOU FOR HELPING SAVE IRENE'S HOUSE FROM FORECLOSURE ! by gaea r.
(0 comments
|
discussions
)
—
You are amazing.You
stopped the bank OneWest
from selling Irene
Leary's home, where she
has lived for 34 years.
You sent letters and made
phone calls by the
thousands -- and they got
the message, for now.
The victory for Irene is
important, but unle... more
Jun 28
Tribute: Michael Jackson- Earth Song, by JeZa S.
(1 comments
|
discussions
)
— I was not a fan of MJ-
but I will remember him
in good light.. this song
is from his broken
heart>
Earth Song, by Michael
Jacksonhttp://www.youtube
.com/watch?v=f8muMo0fw_M,
http://www.dailymotion.co
m/video/xetes_michael-jac
kson-earth-song_animals&.
.. more
Tribute: Earth Song by Carla G.
(0 comments
|
0 discussions
)
— R.I.P. Michael!Earth Song
- Michael Jackson
http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=KOnL5c8LMqM more
Content and comments expressed here are the opinions of Care2 users and not necessarily that of Care2.com or its affiliates.