THE INUIT community has been left devastated after PETA posted misleading anti-commercial sealing videos.
Animal rights activists once again twisted facts about the Canadian seal hunt, hoping to con people into thinking that the seal industry promotes bad taste and violence.
The PETA video is also linked to an online petition calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end federal subsidies for seal hunters.
Aaju Peter, an Inuk sealskin-seamstress, said that PETA’s facts are misleading and continue a long anti-sealing message from animal rights groups.
She said: “These videos are devastating for our communities”.
“It creates a bad taste and a bad image when PETA says baby seals are slaughtered. They’re not babies. Human beings have babies. They are seal pups and they’re old enough to be harvested.”
It’s not the first time PETA has attacked the seal industry. In 2010 the charity presented its “Explore Elsewhere” ad featuring Canada’s national anthem “O Canada” playing over footage of baby seals as they are clubbed to death. The ad was aimed to reduce the numbers of potential tourists researching Canadian summer vacations.
PETA claims that it has long- advocated ending the commercial seal hunt, but supports Inuit hunters who hunt seal for non-commercial purposes.
Ashley Byrne, a PETA spokesperson said:
“The commercial seal slaughter has nothing whatsoever to do with the Inuit sustenance hunt. PETA supports re-training hunters involved in the seal hunt.”
“The Canadian government hides behind Native people in a dishonest attempt to justify the commercial slaughter, but they are not the same.”
Inuks were quick to oppose the statement saying that PETA’s attempts to marginalize sealers hurts Inuit hunters who cannot make money from their hunt.
Aaju Peter said:
“[PETA] says there is no market. They crushed the market,” she said. “They made life very, very difficult.”
