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Don't hide behind Inuit in pursuing seal hunt

CHRISSIE HYNDE

Special to Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 8:51 AM EDT 04/04/07

Don't hide behind the Inuit to defend it ...Read the full article

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  1. S G from Canadian in Geneva, Canada writes: A Canadian, I've lived in Switzerland for over a year. Aside from Nelly Furtado and Avril Lavigne videos on TV, the only reference to Canada I've come across in European mass media are graphic anti-seal hunt commercials. This one issue - a small industry compared to others in Canada - is colouring our whole nation in the rest of the world's eyes. Many Europeans think, 'Canada? Ew - seal hunt.' Just something for folks back home to consider.
  2. David Woods from Canada writes: I look forward to seeing if Ms. Hynde takes a trip to Newfoundland to actually find out who the sealers really are: small outport fishers that depend on the seal hunt to have enough money to get through the winter months. Not everybody has record royalties they can count on to put food on the table and a roof over their head.

    And perhaps it would be a good idea for Ms. Hynde to tour some beef abattoirs in the UK first, before criticizing the seal hunt which is essentially an analogous activity. Last time I checked leather came from cattle hides.

    I respect Ms. Hynde as a musician but as an activist she could do a bit more work on getting informed.
  3. catherine north from writes: Chrissie, get off your butt and go there to complain, at least you'll gain some cred. Being a musician doesn't give you instant expert status in this field. Right now your an arm chair whiner.
  4. Clark Kent from Canada writes: Hide behind the Inuit? White people have a history of hunting as well.
  5. Sarah Matthews from Canada writes: SG, before the seal hunt, people from other nations lambasted Canada because of our forest industry. PETA and Greenpeace are fundraising machines, there to bring in money to their coffers. We don't live and breathe for European approval. The people of Newfoundland/Labrador and the Inuit need to make a living.
  6. owen myers from St. John's, Canada writes: I am a Newfoundland lawyer who has represented both fishers and animal rights activists who have been arrested. Based on my observations of the individuals involved in the seal hunt protest it is simply a money making scam that thrives on getting high profile pop stars etc to involve themselves in the hunt protest.
    Killing animals is not a pretty business no matter where or how it happens but most of seals are shot with high powered rifles. It is no different from big game hunting for moose or deer. Why the government allows any other kind of killing is a mystery to me.
    The seal populations are abundant and the quota is carefully managed. Seal hunters are ordinary rural people who are harvesting a renewable population . Where we draw the line when it comes to killing animals is contentious but claims that we are endangering the population of seals are false. The money made from seal hunting goes into thousands of households in rural Newfoundland. It is an important part of their livelihood.
  7. Sarah Matthews from Canada writes: 'S G from Canadian in Geneva, Canada writes: A Canadian, I've lived in Switzerland for over a year. Aside from Nelly Furtado and Avril Lavigne videos on TV, the only reference to Canada I've come across in European mass media are graphic anti-seal hunt commercials.'

    Whose fault is THAT? Sounds to me as though the European mass media is drawn to emotionalism and clings to parochialism.
  8. bill benton from Thornhill, Canada writes: Chrissie says,'The commercial seal hunt that takes place every spring is an off-season cash bonus for a handful of big-business fishing companies — not a needed source of income for aboriginal peoples.' C'mon Chrissie that's just wrong. Name one big business fishing company benefiting from the seal hunt - just one. Or else try the truth.
  9. Donald White from Hong Kong, Canada writes: Chrissie Who?
  10. dean spence from bright old city, ontario, Canada writes: Once upon a time there was this person with enough talent to make her music interesting. It's been a long time since i played any pretenders' CDs.
    Why do i care about what some has been, hagged out, rocker thinks? About anything?
  11. Mary Tracey from Sarasota, United States writes: Crissey is right.
    The Real Inuit people have a TAC of 10,000 seals a year, in which they know how to kill humanely, and use all of the Seal including the meat.
    The commercial slaughter is a quota kill , kill as fast and as many as possible, skin them and leave the carrcass to rot on the ice. They are babies and their pelt is perfect & pristine, required by the fashion industry, No doubt about it, Grade 1 pelts. It is a wasteful atrocity, for not a lot of money!
    Perhaps the new Global Warming report will shine the light on what I read yesterday, 'Its a highway to extinction including the human factor.
    People will continue to Donate to Animal Groups as it is something they believe in and it is Tax Deductable. One day it will end, and Mother Nature will do it.
  12. Clark Kent from Canada writes: Mary Tracey, the seals are not under threat of extinction. Far from it. (That's part of the point.)

    I see this no different from cows or pigs or chickens. Except the seals aren't contained while they are raised. A brutal reality of life that, it seems, only some people can cope with.
  13. Dog's Best Friend from Canada writes: chrissie hynde; Why don't you do as your records do and rotate.
  14. Dog's Best Friend from Canada writes: SG from Geneva. Your comment has enlightened me. Now I know that ignorance is abundant in Europe and isn't simply restricted to PETA types like Ms. Hynde
  15. Mary Tracey from Sarasota, United States writes: Superman, (Clark Kent)
    The Seals are not extinct or endangered yet, the slaughter is unneccesary period.
    Do you have a need to wear fur of any kind, or how about a fuzzy wallet for your pocket?
    Cows, Pigs, chickens ,turkeys are all raised for human consumption, Seals are not. The Seals are hardly raised when they are killed between 2 weeks old to less than 3 months old, then they don't reach sexual maturity until 7 years of age. So if this year hundreds of thousands drowned due to No Ice,(Climate Change) and 270,000 are to be slaughtered, how is it sustainable? Also consider the fact that for every Seal landed one is lost. The government hasn't completed a population of the herd since 1996, since then they have been saying 6mn, 5.8,mn, 5.5 mn. It is a big guessing game, and no consideration is given that this same herd is also hunted in Greenland, Iceland, Norway, all of whom do not take nearly this staggering number of Seals landed, Struck & Lost by the Canadian Commercial Slaughter. It is another example of Gross Mismanagement and Human Greed!
  16. Mary Tracey from Sarasota, United States writes: Hick Cowboy,

    All the problems in the world! ARE DUE TO HUMAN IGNORANCE, GREED, STUPIDITY, HUMAN LAZINESS, AND HUMANS ARE NOT ACCOUNTABLE OR LIABLE FOR ANYTHING DONE OR SAID. Try and fix that.
  17. Shocked and Appalled from toronto, Canada writes: Ok Chrissie, just check your leather calfskin bag and we can discuss this sensibly over a nice veal steak.

    Geesh. Aren't there plenty of English chicken and pig farmers to pick on, Chrissie? Have you visited a pig farm lately?
  18. Bruce Parsons from Portugal Cove Nfld, Canada writes: Ms Hynde appears to be the racist here. First the vast majoriity of seal revenus goes to the rural poor - not large fish companies - and these fishermen need this cash to sustain their families in rural newfoundland. Ms Hynde may be somewhat squeamish about a slaughter in the open air but if she eats meat or wears leather then she is also participating in animal slaughter. i suggest if Ms. Hynde wishes to be a true raduical then she modify her own life. the seal population has grown from under 2 million to over six, so clearly it is well managed. By the way she missed out on one of the biggest sources of revenue from seals, their penis bone. Now there is something truely useless but if it utilizes some part of the animal prevuiously discarded, well why not. And she should visit St. John's sometime and she will find seal meat for sale here in many forms, every effort is made to use all the animal. You want to protest something truely destructive - start with finning sharks.
  19. A. N. from Northern Ontario, Canada writes: I've got a feeling that I'm not alone when I say this...

    I really wish these, ' I've got media access because I'm rich so I can say whatever I want no matter how stupid I really am...' celebrity types would get their facts straight and then mind their own business.

    To Chrissie, Paul, Heather and any other celebrity from ANOTHER COUNTRY who knows NOTHING about a way of life and how some people make their living on OUR East Coast much less about ANYTHING Canadian:

    Leave all the money behind, go on out and live for a couple of years and mix with the people, learn about how it is AND THEN let us all know about how it is IN OUR COUNTRY.

    After that... GO JUMP IN THE LAKE.
  20. Randal Heide from Mississauga, Canada writes: Chrissie, I'm a fan, but it's time to stop all your sobbin'. I respect the values of people who don't eat meat or use animal products such as fur or leather, but I also expect those people to respect the values of others who do. The posters here are right: the seal hunt is no different than any other animal harvest. Fur is a natural insulator and very comfortable; using it in bonafide winter gear is every bit as justified as using meat for food. I do agree that someone buying a sealskin handbag might want to stop and think about whether that's a bit over the top, but it's a choice that has to be left to the buyer.

    The comments about Europe crack me up. They're all down on us over there because of the seal hunt? European TV is full of anti-Canada-seal-hunt ads? That's because they're the biggest market for the fur!!! Let them shut down their own seal hunt first to prove this isn't just the old European protectionist ploy at work.
  21. scott thomas from Canada writes: How many whales died for Chrissie Hynde's vain eyeliner?
  22. Edward Thomas from Canada writes: Yeesh, and yet Canadians are always whining how thin-skinned the Yanks are when it comes to external criticism. It would be a little less embarrassing to defend seal hunting on its merits than to resort to personal attacks against its detractors. Let's try and be a big-boy country now, shall we?
  23. Mary Tracey from Sarasota, United States writes: I would like to hear from pro-sealing posters here, why the hunt should continue?
    The population of the herd is unknown.
    If the european's are killing their own animals for fur, then why do they buy Seal Skins from the Atlantic Ocean?
    Is the fishing industry collapse due to the Seals or Human Over-fishing?
    Is the ocean poisoned by Humans and our waste?
    Why were most of the pelts last year destroyed?
    Does anyone really believe the Government Redderick?
    Should there be open-season on Daft Politicians?
  24. Some Day from East of West, Canada writes: Did anyone posting here actually read the article, it appears not. Chrissie is makes valid points, wearing fur is not necessary, the Inuit do not benefit from this slaughter and the government feeds us BS about the seal hunt. It seems people like to go off on tangents to feed their own egos. Oh by the way (just to feed my ego) the biggest problem facing this world is the inability of H. sapien to control his/her own population thus needs to exploit everything in sight.
  25. L.A. Sellers from Toronto, Canada writes: As a typical Canadian, I've just finished my breakfast of poutine with maple syrup, washed down with my first Molson Canadian of the day. I grab my seal club and emerge from my igloo in north Toronto into the usual April blizzard. I'm off to kill my daily quota of seals on the shores of Lake Ontario. Our local constable Dudley Doright passes me by on his horse, looking splendid in his red tunic and boy scout hat, so I shout 'Goodday, eh!'. I admire the totem poles on the roadside, and look up through the snow at the Rockie Mountains to the west. It's truly a fine day in Canada!
  26. Jim Whitney from Kearney ON, Canada writes: They're ocean rats. Get over it.
  27. JA M from Our Town, Canada writes: I would love to see a Chrissie Hynde - Danny Williams debate / free for all over this.
  28. Pete G from Canada writes: To the comment about Chrissie's eyeliner: it most probably wasn't tested on animals or made with any animal by-products. 'The Body Shop' - look it up.
  29. Chris Guselle from Bolton Ontario, writes: Chrissie, I too am a huge animal lover and I suspect your heart is in the right place. I respect that you are trying to make the world a better place.

    However, wake up - you are being used.

    You have been misled and now, because of your notoriety, you are spreading misinformation. If you wish to affect change in the world, I suggest you educate yourself on all sides of an issue - from multiple sources - before putting your name behind a cause. Otherwise you are wasting your time and your reputation.
  30. Another Opinion from Toronto, Canada writes: So we're at it again, eh? Cool. For Mary Tracey: I think you have your question backwards. You want to know why seal hunting shouldn't be stopped. I want to know one GOOD reason why seal hunting shouldn't be allowed to continue. It's cruel? Uh, whatever. As opposed to trophy hunting and abattoirs? Please. There are parts of the U.S. in which killing things for amusement is part of the culture. You're going to lecture the working poor for trying to make a living? They're endangered? Five MILLION. Let me say that again: Five MILLION. Want to know how many Grizzly Bears / Grey Wolves / Bison / Burrowing Owls / Bald Eagles there are? NOT Five MILLION. Get your priorities straight. Public Opinion? Uh-huh. Look, despite the fact that dozens of tree-hugging groups from the U.S. are investing huge amounts of time and money in this campaign, there is STILL a market for seal products. This may come as a shock to you but YOUR opinion is not necessarily PUBLIC opinion. They're cute and furry? Ok, well at least you're being honest now. You don't want to see cute l'il animals get killed. Well, DON'T WATCH. I don't like seeing Bambi get offed but I'm pretty sure the American game hunting industry isn't going to close down on my say-so. Incidentally, the word you're looking for is 'rhetoric'.
  31. Randal Heide from Mississauga, Canada writes: Hello Some Day, I read the article, but you're not reading the posts very carefully. Wearing fur isn't necessary and neither is eating meat, but it is useful and most of us don't have a problem with it. I don't support the seal hunt because of the Inuit, I support it for the same reasons I support the beef industry or deer hunting. And it's not an issue of Canadian nationalism; as I and another poster have pointed out, Europeans hunt seals too. If you want my help to shut down the seal hunt, you'll either have to show how it differs from other sustainable animal harvests or convince me that all animal killing should be stopped.

    Mary Tracey, I admire your perserverance and conviction - does this answer your first question? The answers to your other questions are:
    - the population of the herd IS known and is growing
    - human overfishing
    - yes
    - I don't know, why don't you tell us
    - do you mean 'rhetoric'?
    - yes, and also on daft celebrities and activists
  32. mary atkinson from Canada writes: L.A. Sellers you get my vote for the best post of the day. Too bad that Miss Hynde, whoever she is, will not see it. Obviously she is seeking publicity to boost her failing career, if she ever had one.

    Baby seals photograph better than baby chickens in their inhumane cages and better than baby pigs in their inhumane transport trucks on their way to an inhumane abattoir. The fact that baby seals are no longer harvested doesn't make any difference to the publicity seekers and fund raisers. Evidently false advertising rules doesn't extend as far as the seal hunt or the livelihoods of the fishermen involved.

    Why is it that the only seal hunters ever mentioned in these waste of ink epistles are the Newfoundland Fishermen. There is a seal cull in other parts of Canada . It is also part of Quebec and Atlantic Canada's economies and it is not entirely about the the fur. Seal meat is a rich source of many nutritional dietary requirements such as Iron and when properly prepared is low in fat.

    I will visit NL this coming Summer and I will buy a seal-skin jacket and canned seal meat just to support the people of this unjustly maligned industry.
  33. bif big from Toronto, Canada writes: I used to be against the seal hunt until I heard the other side of the story through a CBC interview which was aired last winter, after Paul McCartney and Heather Mills had been in Newfoundland to interfere with the seal hunt. The fisherman said that each seal eats about 35 lbs of fish per day, multiply that by 4,000-5,000 seals, you get 140,000 lbs of fish per day on the low end. Just something to think about.

    Another point, is Chrissie Hynde really the authority on the subject? I don't recall her degrees being posted on the web site or her credentials? I do recall reading a lot about her drug addictions though.

    Globe and Mail, if you want a subject to get the respect it deserves, deliver through a respected medium, please.
  34. Winston Churchill from London, Canada writes: It is true that the Europeans know nothing else. I am occasionally required to travel to Europe on business, and I've never met any European who knows anything else about Canada, except maybe for the few who've been skiing in Banff or Whistler. They know there are mountains, and that we hunt seals. Interesting fact! The Germans are an educated people, with one of the best tertiary education systems in the world. The number of academics in Germany -- not in one university, but in the country -- who study any aspect of American reality (literature, history, political science etc.)? Twelve. I think I can guess the number working on Canadian subjects. I doubt the others are much different -- I'm guessing that a meeting of the Spanish Association for Canadian Studies could probably be held in a phone booth. Conclusions? Europeans, in general, are arrogant and parochial. If it doesn't happen in Berlin or Paris, it really hasn't happened. Who really cares what they think? If the shoe were on the other foot, they wouldn't give a good godd*** what we think. Why do we care what they think? If its wrong, its wrong; but it isn't wrong just because some clapped out Brit pop singer says so.
  35. Rich Mills from Dartmouth, Canada writes: Chrissie Hynde? I thought she was dead?
  36. Jack Pennings from Toronto, writes: Wake up! There are far more urgent problems threatening marine ecosystems ... and ultimately the very breath we are wasting over this issue. We could start by taking on problems such as long-line fishing and the threatened extinction of large ocean species. You can always go back to the sticks-with-spikes arguments once the serious changes we need are behind us.
  37. Another Opinion from Toronto, Canada writes: For Rich Mills: 'I thought she was dead?'

    No no no. You're thinking of her career.
  38. fred robster from Canada writes: Here's a thought Chrissy - why don't you and PETA put your money where your mouths are?

    Most of the people hunting seals are doing so because they need the money. Yes, the hunt has a long tradition, but when you get right down to it, most of the seal hunters are among the poorest people in the country.

    So why don't you and PETA, instead of whinging about the hunt, PAY these people not to hunt? Just hand over the money you've sucked out of thousands pomeranian-spoiling grannies to 'save the animals', and actually do something to 'save the animals'.
  39. Hugh Lawlor from Toronto, Canada writes: And this got published in the Globe why exactly?

    If I write a critique of the record business, will the Globe publish it? I have as much knowledge and involvement in the record business as Chrissy has with the seal harvest.
  40. Randal Heide from Mississauga, Canada writes: Sorry Mary Tracey, forgot to address one of your questions - why do Europeans buy seal skins from the Atlantic Ocean? Find a map or a globe and take a look at the location of Europe relative to the Atlantic Ocean.

    Here's a question for you - why do Americans buy all that stuff from China, contributing to global warming by shipping it halfway around the world, when they could make right in their own country?
  41. Mac G from Canada writes: I have more respect for a misguided animal rights activist who cares about the seal hunt than a self-serving and cynical nobody who posts rants on the globeandmail website and cares about nothing at all.

    My point is this: if you think there are bigger problems, go do something about it (and tell us what you're doing), don't just sit here and whinge.
  42. MJ Patchouli from Regina, Canada writes: Pete G: actually I believe it is highly illegal to sell any cosmetics that have not been tested on animals. The claims from Body Shop etc are marketing ones -- maybe THEY didn't test the products but they sure as hell were tested on animals by some other company.

    Companies that claim their products are not animal tested and, therefore, are 'cruelty-free' mislead consumers, since almost all products or the chemical compounds that comprise them were previously tested in animals.
  43. Another Opinion from Toronto, Canada writes: For Mac G: I'm not certain if you're referring to my comments, but in my opinion it is the environmental groups involved in this campaign who are being 'self-serving and cynical'. There are literally millions of dollars being sunk into an ad campaign to 'protect' a species that isn't remotely threatened as a whole. Given the number of species that are ACTUALLY at risk in North America, the only logical reason to pursue this issue with such vigour is that it is a profitable fund-raising vehicle. If PETA or GreenPeace or whomever were to use their raised funds to make a deal with the U.S. and Canadian governments to dramatically expand protected wilderness zones, I would be FIRST in line to give them money... but they aren't. They're taking all that money and buying commercial time to show pictures of furry baby seals, and to fly their members halfway around the world making speeches. Given the resources these groups have shown to have at their disposal, they could take dramatic steps towards providing solutions. Instead, they spend millions complaining about selected photogenic parts of the problem. You say 'misguided'. I say 'unwilling'. Incidentally, regarding your little challenge. I could tell you whatever I want about the environmental choices I make, but I can't prove it and you can't disprove it so I don't see a point to trading insults over it.
  44. david coates from toronto, Canada writes: Chrissie Hynde commenting on the seal hunt? Next up: Heather Mills to lead Federal Reserve Board? Bush resigns to become head of NASA?
  45. Don Seymour from Petrolia, Canada writes: For many families the seal hunt is the difference between making a living or going to the government for assistance. If Chrissie and the rest of Europe really want to do something, concentrate on those who buy fur - mostly well to do Europeans.....

    As long as there is a market there will be a hunt....and by the way - seal meat is pretty good and unfortunately hard to get in Ontario.
  46. Phil Spector's Hair from Not there, Canada writes: Rich Mills from Dartmouth, Canada writes: Chrissie Hynde? I thought she was dead?

    No, she just looks dead.
  47. William McMullin from Kalamazoo, United States writes: If you want to watch a video on the seal slaughter to see for yourself what's going on, go to http://www.peta.org/feat-canadaSealHunt.asp
  48. V ADS from North Vancouver, Canada writes: Chrissie, it's Newfoundland and Labrador.

    And the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador has among its population Inuit who hunt seals, among other things.

    Seals are not endangered and are not killed just for fur.
  49. elise moser from montreal, Canada writes: I completely agree with Chrissie Hynde, and good for her for speaking out. It's not just the brutality of this particular hunt that is troubling; it's also that this is one more example of the sense of entitlement that humans have toward the rest of the natural world. This is the same ethic that says that for our comfort and convenience (rather than actual survival or even well-being), we can justify systematically destroying our whole planet. Even we humans are now dying from the effects of this wild greed -- when will we change our habits, our policies and our view of our place in the world?
  50. Another Opinion from Toronto, Canada writes: Just something I thought I'd share....

    Anthropomorphism: (n) Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.
  51. J H from Canada writes: Hey Chrissie,

    You still wearing those leather pants in concert?
  52. james davie from New York, United States writes: Chrissie Hynde rocks!!! Great musician and fantastic spokesperson!
  53. Henry Allen from Toronto, Canada writes: At the core of this issue is death. Think about it. If there was no more death, we wouldn't have this controversy about culling seals. Every creature has the right to live forever. Science should hop to it and eradicate death.
  54. Mike Hunt from Pickle Lake, Canada writes: Ms. Hynde, didn’t you used to be a type of reporter in the 70’s? Whatever happened to your sense of objectivity? You obviously have researched nothing. If all you read is propaganda, then how can you expect anyone to consider your point-of-view as being relevant? You know, I have never before heard of anyone trying to claim that seal hunters claim that the seal hunt exists primarily for the benefit of the Inuit. You are trying to create your own debate. It has always been obvious to all Canadians that Newfoundlanders are the primary benefactors of the seal hunt – but most Canadians embrace the reality that our fine fellow-citizens are simply working hard to feed their children. If you want to stop the seal hunt, then why don’t you go and slander the people who purchase the final goods? Oh yeah, that’s right… Those people are ‘scary’ wealthy people who have enough money to hire lawyers who will take you to court, and take possession of what you own, after you have had your day slandering their clients. You and your friends are bullies, Ms. Hynde. You collectively beat-up on those who do not have a formal collective voice, and you feel good about yourselves. Ponder that, the next time that you are discussing world issues with your famous friends over lunch at KFC. But, oh, that’s right – since we eat chicken meat, that justifies force-feeding the little tasties while they tear each other apart in tiny cages for the entire length of their pathetic lives. To tell you the truth, if I could choose to either live 12 days on the open water, and then die a sudden death, or live in a cage for a couple of months while getting all of my feathers scratched-off of me by my unfriendly cellmate, I would choose the former. In that sense, doesn’t the seal hunt seem a lot more humane than what you are not protesting? Finally; just curious, Ms. Hynde… Where was your first job as a youngster? Chicken joint? Or, a burger joint?
  55. Jean LeDuc from Quebec City, Canada writes: Kill a few cute and cuddly seal pups and Greenpeace types freak. Wipe out sharks and bluefin tuna from the face of the planet with industrial fishing and practically no-one notices. Caring about animals is about the animals, and not about YOUR emotions. There is so much to do, and people should use their heads more, and not so much their hearts.
  56. John W. David from Greater Southern Ontario, Canada writes: So what happens when the ice permanently melts due to climate change Chrissy, and the seals all drown? The seal hunt will probably end, due to lack of seals I suspect.
  57. bruce reid from Toronto, Canada writes: Henry Allen, I agree completely. The 'scientists' are always trying to cure diseases and such - but they're just treating the symptom! They should definitely start looking at the big picture - eternal life.

    And where's my flying car, goddam it!
  58. Phil G from Ottawa, Canada writes: Is it 1983 again?
  59. Kenneth Murphy from Toronto, Canada writes: Are you telling me PETA couldn't find a trashier spokesperson?

    It may have helped her sell albums but it won't help build a rational case for ending the seal hunt.

    Well, that is, unless you consider well over-the-hill drug addled rock'star' an authority on anything other than getting drunk and high and making music.

    Its wrong to wear fur? Well you've sold me, where do I sign up?
  60. Tom Erdman from Rochester, NY, United States writes: 'fred robster from Canada writes: Here's a thought Chrissy - why don't you and PETA put your money where your mouths are?

    Most of the people hunting seals are doing so because they need the money. Yes, the hunt has a long tradition, but when you get right down to it, most of the seal hunters are among the poorest people in the country.

    So why don't you and PETA, instead of whinging about the hunt, PAY these people not to hunt? Just hand over the money you've sucked out of thousands pomeranian-spoiling grannies to 'save the animals', and actually do something to 'save the animals'. '

    LOL - What a great idea, but it would never work. PETA just cares about animals. Hungry, hardworking people don't concern them.
  61. Laura Dover from Calgary, Canada writes: Did anybody see March of the Penguins and the inhumane way the dastardly seal killed off that sweet selfless egg-protecting penguin? They are cute for a bit and then ... hardened killers! (kinda like us - cheers Chrissie)
  62. Another Opinion from Toronto, Canada writes: For Laura Dover: I haven't seen 'March of the Penguins' yet but I did see 'Happy Feet' and seals are bad guys in that movie, too. They even get their own ominous bad guy theme music and scary chase soundtrack.

    I don't know that I want to help to protect an evil animal that has its own ominous bad guy theme music. You don't see Bambi or Thumper or Nemo or Pooh trotting around to ominous bad guy theme music.
  63. Professor Peabody from The WAY BACK MACHINE in the, Wallis And Futuna Islands writes:

    We need to put little fur coats on sharks ASAP!

    Millions of them are being 'finned' for soup, and nobody cares because they're not cute and cuddley. Perhaps we should put glasses on them as well? Everybody sticks up for the kid with glasses
  64. J. Rollison from Canada writes: Chrissie, I'll say the same to you as I did to Paul McCartney last year...'get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged'...we don't need you here telling people what to do.
  65. Henry Allen from Toronto, Canada writes: All predator animals should be required to attend sensitivity classes. Then, teach them vegan diets. Lions will eat broccoli once they learn to care about gazelles. Calling all predators. Stop the cruelty. Hug a prey, you'll feel better.
  66. Jackie Walton from Mississauga, Canada writes: Here we go again yet another ROCKER proclaiming themselves as God & telling the rest of the world what to do...forgive me if I don't bow & say thank you. Why is it that being a rocker makes you an automatic authority on everything? The annual seal hunt on the east coast of Canada is a way of life that has gone on for generations, just because you don't like it dosen't give you the right to change that way of life. We live in an age where most cultures are fighting to remain seen & work tirelessly to ensure their children gow up with that culture & heritage in tact. How dare you try to abolish a way of life that has gone on for so long & has paid a huge role in building this country during the days of trading posts. Would we prefer these people discontinue their way of life and what be supported by the government - let's see how that would work stop the seal hunt, destroy a way of life & put all on welfare - Wait a minute I have a better idea lets have the rockers support the hunters !! My suggestion to Chrissie & the others like her (Paul McCartney comes to mind) since you seem to want to be in the public eye why don't you use your celebrity status for a good cause such as the alarming rate of children being diagnosed with Autism that do not have acess to adequate access to education & services.
  67. Michael Motorcycle from Thunder Bay, Canada writes: Who wears fur anyway? How corny is that?
  68. C.M. Noonan from Canada writes: Nice to see some support! I got slammed last week on another forum on the same subject for supporting sealing.

    Chrissie, an open invitation: Join me for some flipper pie in Newfoundland at your earliest convenience, we can discuss how seals are used only for fur!
  69. Devon Brooks from Kelowna, Canada writes: Amazingly how small and vicious most posters on this site are. How many of you people who are insulting Chrissie would take that if you had a belief and were maliciously attacked because of your profession? As for the oh-so-clever remarks about her not having a degree or being an expert, I guess that rules out 99.9% of us (including me). I guess only bonafide professionals can speak to this (or any other) topic. Other brilliant criticisms? Let's throw in a red herring or 20. If Chrissie isn't talking about global warming, killing in Rwanda, shark fin soup or any number of other topics apparently she has no right to address this issue. As for all of you bleeding hearts who are so concerned about the poor starving Newfoundlanders who are out of jobs, your concern touches me. We can berate Chrissie or PETA for not giving them all their money, but of course that doesn't mean we will. We are all quite indifferent as to the Newfoundland unemployment rate, the same way we don't care about whether Saskatchewan wheat farmers are doing well or B.C. apple growers or anyone else. But apparently Chrissie is a monster if she speaks up about something because she has some money. And the many attacks about her claiming that Inuits are not the reason for the hunt? Gosh, would that be because the CANADIAN government paid for Inuit to go over there and plead with the E.U. that they have a right to hunt? I don't disagree with the Inuit hunting seals, but our government used them to make it look, in a well orchestrated publicity event, that the hunt was happening PRIMARILY for their benefit. Maybe the seal hunt is well managed, but then all these arguments were used when the cod fishery was being decimated too. We resented any one else butting in even as the cod stocks were destroyed. Lastly, just so that you can all go off the rail criticizing me, I am not against a well managed seal hunt. But I am against petty, childish Chrissie hunts. How dare she speak her mind, eh?
  70. Peter Bragg from Halifax, Canada writes: It seems that a lot of the anger about the seal hunt is focused on Canada allowing the seal hunt to take place, the problem is with that is that even if Canada was to ban the seal hunt it would still take place as long as there was still people and companies willing to pay for seal products.

    If the focus of the anti seal hunt protest was at companies that use seal products or people who wear seal fur, it would drive down demand and the seal hunt wouldn't be financially viable and people would stop hunting seals.
  71. Sinikka Crosland from Westbank, Canada writes: Chrissie Hynde is right. Canadian politicians are so desperate to salvage this brutal, sadistic tradition that they have duped the Inuit into trying to mislead the world. The commercial seal slaughter is a large-scale massacre for FUR! It is not a subsistence hunt.
    Many Canadians are fed up. We are telling the world: Boycott My Country. Concerned citizens worldwide (including Canadians) can pledge to boycott all seafood from Canada. Further, they can boycott tourism in the Atlantic provinces: www.touringnewfoundland.com/ . The things to do page contains a handy database for e-mailing Atlantic businesses directly.
    Time to pull your heads out of the sand, Harper, Hearn, Sullivan and kin. Let's evolve a little more quickly. If your hearts are made of stone, and you further cannot recognize the effects of climate change, then perhaps you will understand the language of lost revenue.
  72. Henry Allen from Toronto, Canada writes: Sinikka Crosland from Westbank: Please provide the name of just two Inuit folks you believe have been duped by politicians about seal hunting.
  73. freddy zappa from Toronto, Canada writes: Chrissie: You need to get ALL the facts straight before you form an opinion. AND you need to understand the ALL disciplines involved used to determine the policy outcomes.

    Only informed opinions really count, even in a democracy. Trying to effect social change as an end run-around real knowledge is a very risky game, in terms of outcomes.

    All you provided is a form of hysteria. You did not provide enough information for anyone unfamiliar with the issues to form a rational reasoned opinion. Some information was obviously incorrect, only meant to inflame.

    This is how PETA works.

    Education is no longer just for the rich, you can't pull that stunt anymore.

    An as example (not to be taken seriously)
    -----------------------------------------------------

    I believe that rock music is destroying our economy. Kids are spending their time in fruitless endeavor. Drug / alcohol use is rampant, many never recover. The wasted minds of a lost generation. The cost in lost productivity from this generation is massive and it affects our ability to forge ahead in all endeavors as university science grads start to decline, possibly even leading the way to human extinction. And besides, what is the difference between a person making money because there vocal cords happen to vibrate at a nice frequency and someone with a nice a$$ becoming a prostitute. Neither requires any significant knowledge. Classical music does not create these problems.
    --

    Chrissie: When people demonstrate by pretending to club baby seals, in a pool of ketchup, while wearing sneakers made by children, as a form of argument, ... their creditability is all but gone.

    And certainly, you should read the article that someone wrote for you before you attach your name.
  74. Rick Drysdale from Sidney, Canada writes: William McMullin from Kalamazoo
    I just watched the video.
    I have one question, why do they show a cute furry white seal at the beginning and end but none of the seals that were killed were white furry seals?
  75. Chris Pomeroy from Ottawa, Canada writes: I'm from Newfoundland, so pardon my bias...

    Chrissy Hynde (and likely a few other posters here) should pay a visit to outport Newfoundland and take a look at the boarded up houses or closed fish plants there. There are quite a few people other than aboriginal in Nunavut who are trying to earn a living from the seal hunt. It's no secret that there's an overabundance of seals in the atlantic, and while that's not reason in itself for an annual harvest, the knock-on effect of the seal population on the fishery explains a few more of the aforementioned boarded up windows and closed fish plants.

    Besides, shouldn't Ms Hynde and PETA have bigger battles to fight? the Beef industry and its treatment of cattle, or the poultry industry for example? Mistreatment of domesticated animals year round. Not a culling of an overpopulated species lacking natural predators.

    Oh, and while I'm up on my soapbox - it's about more than fur. There's a market for the meat and internal organs (especially in Asia). It's negligent and ill-informed to present the seal hunt as a bunch of cavemen gleefully dancing round the ice and bashing baby seals heads in to 'leave them to crawl around in their own blood'. Even-handed imagery, that.
  76. Ken Olshaski from Canada writes: Chrissie supports PETA which immediately makes any of her comments meaningless. I liked your music but dislike your self righteous attitude on this topic.
  77. J Swerhone from Mountaintop, Canada writes: Tom Erdman wrote: 'PETA just cares about animals.'

    No they don't. See http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

    PETA uses animals to raise money, most of which goes for big salaries, media stunts, and -- wait for it -- more fund raising.
  78. jiri Z from Canada writes: Well said, Chrissie! And so eloquent.

    Now, who did you buy the Brooklyn bridge from?
  79. Dane N from Halifax, Canada writes: Yes, I agree that any claims that the hunt is part of the indigenous cultures of Labrador and Newfoundland are a cloak for this commercial industry. With more than 11,000 commercial sealing licenses issued to mainly Caucasian sealers in the maritime provinces (mostly Newfoundland) each year, this cannot be considered a subsistance hunt. It's commerce, just like any other industry, and animal and environmental protection groups are indeed justified in opposing it. The Canadian Sealers Association admited to the CBC last March that less than 10% of the flippers are collected and that most of the rest of the meat is just left on the ice to rot because there are no markets for the meat. You have to ask, is it really wise for the Canadian government to encourage economically dis-advantaged people in the maritime regions to continue to rely so heavily on an industry with such an uncertain future as the fur industry? Relying on a livelihood that depends on the fashion whims of fickle consumers in far away markets is a dangerous way of life. Markets for seal fur are closing Europe as more people become aware of the cruelty. If people are truly concerned about the well being of Canadians in these isolated coastal towns, it makes more sense to help these people find sustainable sources of income that do not degrade their surrounding wildlife and environment. The Canadian government and the sealing, fishing and fur industries should be ashamed of exploiting native peoples for their own purposes and misleading the public.
  80. dawson D from Canada writes: Devon Brooks: we do give our money...everytime a canadian pays tax...some of that goes towards assisting another seal hunter that had to stop due to pressures from uneducated rock stars.

    as for the seal hunting video...here's another video that can be added to the list:

    http://www.defendingfarmanimals.org/livemeatvideos.htm

    if we're talking seals/fur slaughter...let's add cows/leather and sheep/wool to the mix and get the whole world involved!

    i can understand if there was an extinction issue (as with certain whales, sharks, etc.) but when numbers of seals are GROWING...what's the motive behind all these protests? Cuteness?
  81. David Jenkins from Alberta, Canada writes: You may agree with the seal hunt (?) and that is your right, I personally think it deserves to sent back where it came from, the middle ages. But let me put this to you. Just what is the reason for the seal hunt, what purpose do you suppose it serves?. Well, here is what I think. It keeps a handful (and that is really all it is) of Newfoundlanders busy during the winter and gets them enough weeks to stay on EI for the rest of the year, or until they get a few weeks of crab fishing in. On top of the fact that the rest of us are subsidizing their 'way of life', we also subsidize the sale of the pelts because Norway (the primary purchaser) really doesn't want them at all. Which brings me to the point about the seals eating all the fish. Despite all the propaganda from the department of fisheries and various levels of government, the Harp seals did NOT cause the collapse of the cod fishery, we did, human greed due to over-fishing. If the Harp seals are eating fish we need it's because after destroying the cod stocks we have now moved down the food chain, which puts us in competition with said seals. So while you may have no problem with some guy bashing in the brains of a juvenile seal with a hakapik (although if you did that with say, a deer, you'd be arrested) just think about what it is costing you in the way of your tax dollars, and think about how much money we are losing in the way of tourism dollars because to the rest of the world we look like some backward third world cesspit.
  82. Christine Giles from Austin, United States writes: Befor anyone gets 'annoyed' about where I live, let me say that I am a Canadian...With that said.... Thirty years ago we were protesting the sealhunt... and by now, 30 years later I would have thought that the Government or some large company, would have trained the seal hunters, with a modern vocation so that they would have a steady income all year round, instead of whacking seal pups for a few days out of the year. The hunt is hated all over the world, and I as a Canadian, living in the States, I have had to explain to people, that not all Canadians are for the seal pup culling. It's gross and an outdated way to make a living.
  83. Alex MacLean from Toronto, Canada writes: She's got brass! Thanks, Chrissie. You are correct, that upfronting the Inuit and jetting them around Europe and elsewhere is an obscene lie. Maybe our next globe-trotting junket on native issues can show the condition of some of the reserve housing, problems with access to potable water, etc. Those are real native issues. The slaughter is an obscene anachronism. So ban it - except for the aboriginal population's own use. Nobody needs to wear fur any more, it is only a luxury item for a greedy elite. Even as I write, seals are drowning from the lack of ice. What will do them in first - clubbing and skinning, or global warming? The only surprising thing is that this planet hasn't shaken us off already.
  84. Henry Allen from Toronto, Canada writes: Christine Giles from Austin: By Austin, I'm guessing Texas, is that right? Well, if it is Texas, following is the schedule of upcoming executions to be conducted by the State of Texas: April 11, April 18, April 26, May 10, May 16, June 6, June 20, June 21, July 24, Aug 15. Seals are important to you. What about humans? Have you protested this.

    If you're not interested in humans, how about cattle? Here's an interesting statistic. For 2005, almost 96 million cattle were slaughtered in the US. Have you ever been to a slaughter house? Have you protested this?
  85. D M from Toronto, Canada writes: Chrissie Hynde hasn't had any credibility on any topic since she advocated the bombing of fast-food restaurants to protest clearcutting of rainforests. It is the arrogance of wealthy celebrities -- musicians, golddigging musicians' spouses, supermodels, athletes, etc. -- who have never had to really work (and I mean really work) to put food on the table, while judging those who do, that is what many find most repellant. It's the same reaction I have when I hear that Tie Domi, who has made megabucks over his hockey career, is now going to sue his son's hockey coach for half a million dollars because he feels his right to swear and curse like a biker in front of a group of kids is being infringed upon. Get off you a***s and get to work!
  86. Ken Brown from Toronto, Canada writes: Chrissie is correct. The seals are babies and the product is vanity. We Canadians need to wake up to the shame that is taking place. And to all the people who say something else is worse, that is no argument. One injustice does not excuse another.
  87. Peter Simpson from Vancouver, Canada writes: I spend 2 months in Europe each year. Europeans, for the most part have a positive view of Canadians. This is largely due to the fact they deeply dislike Bush and feel we are on their side. In any event, most educated Europeans (which is most of them) aren't going to judge a country by a seal hunt. Not one time....in fact never, never, never, have I ever had the seal hunt come up. Not once.

    All the same arguements for killing rats can be used for killing seals - baby or otherwise.

    What's Crissy's be-Hind Pretending to do here anyway?
  88. Christine Giles from Austin, United States writes: Hi Henry,
    Yes I do live in Texas, and yes , when I was in film production years ago, we had to go to a slaughterhouse as part of a short film...I vomited. I have'nt eaten what I call 'other earthlings' since. And regarding the death penalty, that Texas has, yes I do protest, at every killing by the Texas government. My point is that private industry or The Canadian Government, could, re-educate the folks of Newfoundland. Ask your self this : 'would you rather have a job that pays a regular pay check and has some pride in doing so, or spend a few days a year involved in a bloody massacre'?