Canada's shame. IFAW is always trying to put a stop to this barbaric hunt, but the government of Canada for some reason keeps bending over and letting a small number of creeps who are okay with bashing baby seals over the heads dictate policy. They actually subsidize this hunt, because they keep deciding to side with the hunters - in other words, $$$$$$ and votes instead of preventing terrible cruelty. The real kicker is that the average amount of money earned by these fucking hunters is about $1600 a season. Not even close to worth a bad justification. They also try to say they need to cull the seals because they hurt the cod fishery. Sorry, nope. Seals only consume about 1% of the cod population.
UPDATE: In a decision that is disastrous for the welfare of seal pups, the Government of Canada has caved to hunters and opened an adult seal hunt from March 28th to April 7th — right in the middle of whelping season, when seals are most vulnerable.
As if the poor harp seals didn’t have it bad enough. Ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence were abysmal this year, meaning many pups likely drowned or were crushed to death in the ice. Now, sealers in Newfoundland want to open the annual slaughter two weeks early, removing one of the few protections remaining for this iconic Canadian species.
Harp seal pups are born on the ice floes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in late February, and on the front off Newfoundland in early March. This timing is variable, however, and may be affected by changing ice conditions, with pupping being delayed or extended in years of poor ice conditions.
Harp seal pups are highly dependent on their mothers for the first two weeks of life.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada closed the Commercial and Personal Use Seal Hunt in Newfoundland and Labrador on 15 March this year, to allow mothers to give birth to their pups and nurse without disruption. The closure also reduces the risk that whitecoat seal pups will be killed.
Now, the Fisheries Unions in Newfoundland and Labrador are calling for an early opening of the hunt, supposedly so that fishermen may kill adult seals.
But this argument seems suspicious, since 99 percent of the harp seals killed in recent years have been pups under three months of age known as “beaters,” targeted primarily for their skins. There are few markets for seal meat, and according to landed catch statistics, some 92 percent of the meat from the annual hunt is currently wasted. The most valuable part of an adult harp seal in recent years has been its penis, raising renewed concerns about increased involvement in a bogus seal-penis sex potion trade.
It is virtually impossible to identify an adult female from an adult male harp seal at a distance. Although the Marine Mammal Regulations prohibit killing adult seals in whelping patches, it is difficult to see how this will be enforced. DFO themselves state that the annual closure is intended “to allow time for seal whelping and nursing”. Opening the annual slaughter before pups are weaned raises the possibility that nursing females will be killed, leaving their pups to starve to death.
In addition, it increases the likelihood that adult seals will be shot at in the water at a time when their blubber reserves are low, and chances of sinking are high. The 2005 report of the Independent Veterinarians Working Group recommended that seals should not be shot in the water due to the high probability of “struck and lost” and wounded seals suffering unnecessarily.
For their part, Fisheries and Oceans has said they have not decided whether to bend to the sealers’ demands. We urgently need your help to stop this from happening!
--SF
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
World Ranger Day is an opportunity to sing the praises of
the frontline defenders of our wild places. Men and women who lay their
lives on the line daily to protect and preserve – and who, sadly and
more frequently, do in fact lose their lives.
The International Ranger Federation, with the IUCN,
define a ranger as “the person involved in the practical protection and
preservation of all aspects of wild areas, historical and cultural
sites … providing links between local communities, protected areas and
area administration.”
According to the IRF, 740 rangers died
in the line of duty between 2009 and 2017 with the largest numbers of
those being rangers in Asia and Africa. And according to the
organization Global Witness,
98 “environmental defenders” have already died in first six months of
2017 – simply doing their jobs. Earlier this month, five rangers in the
Democratic Republic of Congo were killed while on a mission to rescue
three of their colleagues and some journalists who had gone missing on
assignment.
So who are these people, and why do they so
bravely risk their lives, often for little reward, to protect and
conserve our planet’s wild things and wild places?
Meet Raphael Chiwindo an investigations and intelligence
operator and Assistant Project Manager of IFAW’s anti-poaching
initiative in Kasungu National Park, Malawi.
Raphael, or “Raph” as he is popularly known, first started
working for IFAW nearly 20 years ago. He has spent his life selflessly
protecting Malawi’s wildlife from cruel and senseless poaching and
illegal trade activity. His career with IFAW first started in 1998 after
Mike Labuschagne, IFAW Law Enforcement Technical Director, noticed his
potential during a ranger training course.
Raph excelled through all training and quickly climbed
ranks, being promoted to a qualified instructor and captain of a
commando unit. IFAW works in Southern Africa to prevent the
unpredictable, yet constant threat of poaching in places like Malawi and
Zambia. Raph has remained part of the team for nearly 20 years and is
now second in rank in leading one of Malawi’s most successful
anti-poaching initiatives.
Raph says his duty to protect comes down to his commitment to conservation in an area largely forgotten by others.
“Malawi has beautiful wildlife that I feel is overlooked
by the world, and it needs organisations like IFAW that see the
importance of conserving and protecting the landscape. There are few
people in the word who care about wildlife, I want to be one of the few
who do,” says Raph.
IFAW is committed to bringing an end to the cruel and
senseless poaching that is rampant throughout the Zambia-Malawi
Landscape. A grueling and difficult mission, but one made a little
easier by having dedicated people like Raph on our team.
On World Ranger Day, IFAW would like to send our
appreciation to all the rangers and environmental defenders. Thank you
for all that you do.
--DG
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
IFAW has been working really hard saving the animal victims of these terrible hurricanes down south. Unfortunately they have had to evacuate from the Caribbean in preparation for Hurricane Maria, but they will be back ASAP! IFAW could really use any and all donations people are able to give to help all the animals - pets, live stock, and wild animals alike - suffering after these disasters. www.ifaw.org
Hearts are heavy as IFAW Disaster Teams are evacuated in the face of Hurricane Maria
As I write this, I am on an aircraft surrounded by
disaster response teams. Police officers, Forest Service officers, rapid
response medical teams – all of us were on the islands of St. John and
St. Thomas doing what we could to help those communities (and in our
case, their animals) recover from the destruction left behind by
Hurricane Irma. Now we are leaving, en route to the continental US
through San Juan to wait out the next storm before we can return to
continue our work.
The mood on the plane is somber. Many of us were torn when
we were given the order to evacuate. Hurricane Maria is bearing down on
the Caribbean, and will slash through these islands in a day or so
impacting already weakened infrastructures and tattered homes.
Our teams of IFAW responders on the US Virgin Islands of
St. John and St. Thomas had just started our assessments for
post-disaster needs of owned and unowned community animals before
receiving evacuation orders.
A
special thanks to Jet Aviation San Juan and volunteers Elle Diaz,
Frances Ryan, and Charito Garcia for providing so much assistance to our
team during demobilization and evacuation from the US Virgin Islands.
The people we met there are doing all they can to care for
their animals. Before we arrived, however supplies were running low.
Animal food for large and small community animals was being rationed and
caregivers were anxious about securing meals for the animals in their
care. Luckily we were able to deliver 2,000 pounds of dog food to St.
John donated by PetSmart Charities and Royal Canin through
GreaterGood.org, with more supplies on their way.
Ryan Moore, the shelter manager at the St. John Animal
Care Center, has worked tirelessly to ensure that the dogs and cats
under his care are receiving the food, water, and love that they need
during this intense and stressful time. The cats and dogs we met there
are incredibly sweet. Zuma, Dallas, LuAnn and so many others met our
team with unconditional love and affection.
Ryan manages a dedicated team of volunteers who ensure
that all of the dog and cat kennels are clean, that cats get the
socializing they need, and each dog is walked at least twice a day. When
we have heard so much about the looting and violence in Irma’s wake,
the dedication shown by Ryan and his team of staff and volunteers to
these helpless animals restores my faith in humanity.
We also met Dana Bartlett who has adopted so many of St.
John’s iconic white donkeys. Thankfully her donkeys, and all the wild
donkeys we met along the way, are faring very well. Dana has secured hay
for her herd, and we witnessed wild donkeys foraging through the plants
that have survived the storm. Her chickens, however lost their home
when it was flattened by the hurricane. She is scrambling to provide
shelter for them as Maria barrels down.
At the Humane Society of St. Thomas we also saw incredible
dedication to their community and the animals in their care. While the
shelter on St. Thomas fared well structurally throughout Irma, shelter
staff and volunteers literally lost everything to the hurricane --
houses, vehicles, businesses -- but thankfully they never lost hope.
Each day people from the island arrived to provide daily care for
animals; food, water and lots of emotional support. It seemed to me that
helping the animals of St. Thomas was therapy, a way of giving back
when they themselves had lost so much.
Thankfully the IFAW team on Antigua and Barbuda
have completed their assessment of the needs for wildlife and community
animals on those islands, and have been evacuated safely.
IFAW Disaster Response teams are eager to remobilize once
Maria passes through the region. The absolute devastation caused by
being hit by storm after storm means these communities and their animals
need our help more than ever. We will keep you updated on our
continuing work in the region. Please check back here for more
information.
--SW
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
More good work from IFAW! Standing up to protect the US Endangered Species Act (ESA), since, of course, Trump couldn't care less. Please donate - every dollar counts. www.ifaw.org
With the support of over two dozen celebrity advocates,
IFAW is taking a stand to protect the US Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Together we are launching the #OneActForAll campaign, calling on US
citizens to take action.
The ESA is globally recognized for its contribution to
saving wildlife from extinction, but some US special interest groups
hate it because it shields imperiled animals and plant species from
their most destructive practices. These opponents have allies in
Washington, DC and money to burn. Accordingly, congressional attacks on
the ESA have been introduced at an alarming rate in recent years.
Under the guise of “streamlining,” “modernizing,” and
“reforming” the Act’s wildlife conservation mechanisms, these
anti-environment measures target iconic species like the gray wolf,
strip protections form imperiled animals abroad, and cut out the
critical roles that scientists, government agencies, courts, and the
public play in implementing and enforcing the Act.
Celebrities join with IFAW in protecting the US Endangered Species Act.
These shortsighted policy proposals ignore the ESA’s
overwhelming record of success in saving listed species, as well as the
fact that protecting species pays dividends in ecosystem services and
biodiversity. Anti-ESA bills disregard the principle that removing
protections from a keystone species—like the gray wolf—means initiating
an ecologically devastating chain reaction, robbing future generations
of the world’s iconic wildlife.
IFAW relies on the ESA to protect species across the
globe, from African lions to pangolins. The Act benefits wildlife and
people alike; it truly is #OneActForAll of us.
If the Endangered Species Act falls, we all fall. We are
now asking US citizens to help us protect this critical legislation.
Join us by spreading the word.
--CB
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
IFAW is, of course, collecting donations to help the animals caught up in the California Wall fire. They do wonderful rescue work in such disasters, and work hard to save as many injured animals as possible, and to house abandoned or homeless ones. Please help - the animals need us too.
IFAW is, of course, collecting donations to help the animals caught up in the California Wall fire. They do wonderful rescue work in such disasters, and work hard to save as many injured animals as possible, and to house abandoned or homeless ones. Please help - the animals need us too.
1994 - Bridge School Benefit, Shoreline Mountain View CA *** 1995 - 2015 High School, College, Broke, Having Kids*** 2016 - Temple of the Dog, Bill Graham Civic Center Auditorium, San Francisco CA 2017 - Eddie Vedder, Bourbon and Beyond, Louisville KY 2018 - The Home Shows, Show 2, Seattle WA 2019 - Eddie Vedder, Ohana Fest, Dana Point CA 2020- Oakland Nights 1 and 2 2020 - Ohana Fest 2021 - Ohana Fest 2022 - Oakland 1 and 2
"Watch out for music. It should come with a health warning. It can be dangerous. It can make you feel so alive, so connected to the people around you, and connected to what you really are inside. And it can make you think that the world should, and could, be a much better place. And just occasionally, it can make you very, very happy." -Peter Gabriel
1994 - Bridge School Benefit, Shoreline Mountain View CA *** 1995 - 2015 High School, College, Broke, Having Kids*** 2016 - Temple of the Dog, Bill Graham Civic Center Auditorium, San Francisco CA 2017 - Eddie Vedder, Bourbon and Beyond, Louisville KY 2018 - The Home Shows, Show 2, Seattle WA 2019 - Eddie Vedder, Ohana Fest, Dana Point CA 2020- Oakland Nights 1 and 2 2020 - Ohana Fest 2021 - Ohana Fest 2022 - Oakland 1 and 2
"Watch out for music. It should come with a health warning. It can be dangerous. It can make you feel so alive, so connected to the people around you, and connected to what you really are inside. And it can make you think that the world should, and could, be a much better place. And just occasionally, it can make you very, very happy." -Peter Gabriel
Comments
Help IFAW fight it! www.ifaw.org
http://www.ifaw.org/canada/news/fisheries-unions-request-seal-hunt-start-early
UPDATE: In a decision that is disastrous for the welfare of seal pups, the Government of Canada has caved to hunters and opened an adult seal hunt from March 28th to April 7th — right in the middle of whelping season, when seals are most vulnerable.
As if the poor harp seals didn’t have it bad enough. Ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence were abysmal this year, meaning many pups likely drowned or were crushed to death in the ice. Now, sealers in Newfoundland want to open the annual slaughter two weeks early, removing one of the few protections remaining for this iconic Canadian species.
Harp seal pups are born on the ice floes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in late February, and on the front off Newfoundland in early March. This timing is variable, however, and may be affected by changing ice conditions, with pupping being delayed or extended in years of poor ice conditions.
Harp seal pups are highly dependent on their mothers for the first two weeks of life.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada closed the Commercial and Personal Use Seal Hunt in Newfoundland and Labrador on 15 March this year, to allow mothers to give birth to their pups and nurse without disruption. The closure also reduces the risk that whitecoat seal pups will be killed.
Now, the Fisheries Unions in Newfoundland and Labrador are calling for an early opening of the hunt, supposedly so that fishermen may kill adult seals.
But this argument seems suspicious, since 99 percent of the harp seals killed in recent years have been pups under three months of age known as “beaters,” targeted primarily for their skins. There are few markets for seal meat, and according to landed catch statistics, some 92 percent of the meat from the annual hunt is currently wasted. The most valuable part of an adult harp seal in recent years has been its penis, raising renewed concerns about increased involvement in a bogus seal-penis sex potion trade.
It is virtually impossible to identify an adult female from an adult male harp seal at a distance. Although the Marine Mammal Regulations prohibit killing adult seals in whelping patches, it is difficult to see how this will be enforced. DFO themselves state that the annual closure is intended “to allow time for seal whelping and nursing”. Opening the annual slaughter before pups are weaned raises the possibility that nursing females will be killed, leaving their pups to starve to death.
In addition, it increases the likelihood that adult seals will be shot at in the water at a time when their blubber reserves are low, and chances of sinking are high. The 2005 report of the Independent Veterinarians Working Group recommended that seals should not be shot in the water due to the high probability of “struck and lost” and wounded seals suffering unnecessarily.
For their part, Fisheries and Oceans has said they have not decided whether to bend to the sealers’ demands. We urgently need your help to stop this from happening!
--SF
Meet one of the brave on World Ranger Day
World Ranger Day is an opportunity to sing the praises of the frontline defenders of our wild places. Men and women who lay their lives on the line daily to protect and preserve – and who, sadly and more frequently, do in fact lose their lives.
The International Ranger Federation, with the IUCN, define a ranger as “the person involved in the practical protection and preservation of all aspects of wild areas, historical and cultural sites … providing links between local communities, protected areas and area administration.”
According to the IRF, 740 rangers died in the line of duty between 2009 and 2017 with the largest numbers of those being rangers in Asia and Africa. And according to the organization Global Witness, 98 “environmental defenders” have already died in first six months of 2017 – simply doing their jobs. Earlier this month, five rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo were killed while on a mission to rescue three of their colleagues and some journalists who had gone missing on assignment.
So who are these people, and why do they so bravely risk their lives, often for little reward, to protect and conserve our planet’s wild things and wild places?
Meet Raphael Chiwindo an investigations and intelligence operator and Assistant Project Manager of IFAW’s anti-poaching initiative in Kasungu National Park, Malawi.
Raphael, or “Raph” as he is popularly known, first started working for IFAW nearly 20 years ago. He has spent his life selflessly protecting Malawi’s wildlife from cruel and senseless poaching and illegal trade activity. His career with IFAW first started in 1998 after Mike Labuschagne, IFAW Law Enforcement Technical Director, noticed his potential during a ranger training course.
Raph excelled through all training and quickly climbed ranks, being promoted to a qualified instructor and captain of a commando unit. IFAW works in Southern Africa to prevent the unpredictable, yet constant threat of poaching in places like Malawi and Zambia. Raph has remained part of the team for nearly 20 years and is now second in rank in leading one of Malawi’s most successful anti-poaching initiatives.
Raph says his duty to protect comes down to his commitment to conservation in an area largely forgotten by others.
“Malawi has beautiful wildlife that I feel is overlooked by the world, and it needs organisations like IFAW that see the importance of conserving and protecting the landscape. There are few people in the word who care about wildlife, I want to be one of the few who do,” says Raph.
IFAW is committed to bringing an end to the cruel and senseless poaching that is rampant throughout the Zambia-Malawi Landscape. A grueling and difficult mission, but one made a little easier by having dedicated people like Raph on our team.
On World Ranger Day, IFAW would like to send our appreciation to all the rangers and environmental defenders. Thank you for all that you do.
--DG
Hearts are heavy as IFAW Disaster Teams are evacuated in the face of Hurricane Maria
As I write this, I am on an aircraft surrounded by disaster response teams. Police officers, Forest Service officers, rapid response medical teams – all of us were on the islands of St. John and St. Thomas doing what we could to help those communities (and in our case, their animals) recover from the destruction left behind by Hurricane Irma. Now we are leaving, en route to the continental US through San Juan to wait out the next storm before we can return to continue our work.
The mood on the plane is somber. Many of us were torn when we were given the order to evacuate. Hurricane Maria is bearing down on the Caribbean, and will slash through these islands in a day or so impacting already weakened infrastructures and tattered homes.
Our teams of IFAW responders on the US Virgin Islands of St. John and St. Thomas had just started our assessments for post-disaster needs of owned and unowned community animals before receiving evacuation orders.
The people we met there are doing all they can to care for their animals. Before we arrived, however supplies were running low. Animal food for large and small community animals was being rationed and caregivers were anxious about securing meals for the animals in their care. Luckily we were able to deliver 2,000 pounds of dog food to St. John donated by PetSmart Charities and Royal Canin through GreaterGood.org, with more supplies on their way.
Ryan Moore, the shelter manager at the St. John Animal Care Center, has worked tirelessly to ensure that the dogs and cats under his care are receiving the food, water, and love that they need during this intense and stressful time. The cats and dogs we met there are incredibly sweet. Zuma, Dallas, LuAnn and so many others met our team with unconditional love and affection.
Ryan manages a dedicated team of volunteers who ensure that all of the dog and cat kennels are clean, that cats get the socializing they need, and each dog is walked at least twice a day. When we have heard so much about the looting and violence in Irma’s wake, the dedication shown by Ryan and his team of staff and volunteers to these helpless animals restores my faith in humanity.
We also met Dana Bartlett who has adopted so many of St. John’s iconic white donkeys. Thankfully her donkeys, and all the wild donkeys we met along the way, are faring very well. Dana has secured hay for her herd, and we witnessed wild donkeys foraging through the plants that have survived the storm. Her chickens, however lost their home when it was flattened by the hurricane. She is scrambling to provide shelter for them as Maria barrels down.
At the Humane Society of St. Thomas we also saw incredible dedication to their community and the animals in their care. While the shelter on St. Thomas fared well structurally throughout Irma, shelter staff and volunteers literally lost everything to the hurricane -- houses, vehicles, businesses -- but thankfully they never lost hope. Each day people from the island arrived to provide daily care for animals; food, water and lots of emotional support. It seemed to me that helping the animals of St. Thomas was therapy, a way of giving back when they themselves had lost so much.
Thankfully the IFAW team on Antigua and Barbuda have completed their assessment of the needs for wildlife and community animals on those islands, and have been evacuated safely.
IFAW Disaster Response teams are eager to remobilize once Maria passes through the region. The absolute devastation caused by being hit by storm after storm means these communities and their animals need our help more than ever. We will keep you updated on our continuing work in the region. Please check back here for more information.
--SW
IFAW launches #OneActForAll to protect the ESA
With the support of over two dozen celebrity advocates, IFAW is taking a stand to protect the US Endangered Species Act (ESA). Together we are launching the #OneActForAll campaign, calling on US citizens to take action.
The ESA is globally recognized for its contribution to saving wildlife from extinction, but some US special interest groups hate it because it shields imperiled animals and plant species from their most destructive practices. These opponents have allies in Washington, DC and money to burn. Accordingly, congressional attacks on the ESA have been introduced at an alarming rate in recent years.
Under the guise of “streamlining,” “modernizing,” and “reforming” the Act’s wildlife conservation mechanisms, these anti-environment measures target iconic species like the gray wolf, strip protections form imperiled animals abroad, and cut out the critical roles that scientists, government agencies, courts, and the public play in implementing and enforcing the Act.
Celebrities join with IFAW in protecting the US Endangered Species Act.
These shortsighted policy proposals ignore the ESA’s overwhelming record of success in saving listed species, as well as the fact that protecting species pays dividends in ecosystem services and biodiversity. Anti-ESA bills disregard the principle that removing protections from a keystone species—like the gray wolf—means initiating an ecologically devastating chain reaction, robbing future generations of the world’s iconic wildlife.
IFAW relies on the ESA to protect species across the globe, from African lions to pangolins. The Act benefits wildlife and people alike; it truly is #OneActForAll of us.
If the Endangered Species Act falls, we all fall. We are now asking US citizens to help us protect this critical legislation. Join us by spreading the word.
--CB
This is where I usually volunteer my time: https://www.mom.gr/home (Mediterranean Monk Seal).
1994 - Bridge School Benefit, Shoreline Mountain View CA
*** 1995 - 2015 High School, College, Broke, Having Kids***
2016 - Temple of the Dog, Bill Graham Civic Center Auditorium, San Francisco CA
2017 - Eddie Vedder, Bourbon and Beyond, Louisville KY
2018 - The Home Shows, Show 2, Seattle WA
2019 - Eddie Vedder, Ohana Fest, Dana Point CA
2020- Oakland Nights 1 and 2
2020 - Ohana Fest
2021 - Ohana Fest
2022 - Oakland 1 and 2
"Watch out for music. It should come with a health warning. It can be dangerous. It can make you feel so alive, so connected to the people around you, and connected to what you really are inside. And it can make you think that the world should, and could, be a much better place. And just occasionally, it can make you very, very happy." -Peter Gabriel
Please share far and wide!!
1994 - Bridge School Benefit, Shoreline Mountain View CA
*** 1995 - 2015 High School, College, Broke, Having Kids***
2016 - Temple of the Dog, Bill Graham Civic Center Auditorium, San Francisco CA
2017 - Eddie Vedder, Bourbon and Beyond, Louisville KY
2018 - The Home Shows, Show 2, Seattle WA
2019 - Eddie Vedder, Ohana Fest, Dana Point CA
2020- Oakland Nights 1 and 2
2020 - Ohana Fest
2021 - Ohana Fest
2022 - Oakland 1 and 2
"Watch out for music. It should come with a health warning. It can be dangerous. It can make you feel so alive, so connected to the people around you, and connected to what you really are inside. And it can make you think that the world should, and could, be a much better place. And just occasionally, it can make you very, very happy." -Peter Gabriel