Russia stops importing Canadian seal skins

This video is about the life of a baby harp seal.

From Wildlife Extra:

Russia bans imports of Canadian seal products

Death knell for the Canadian seal hunt: Russia bans trade in harp seal pelts

19 December 2011. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has applauded the news that Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the Russian Federation have banned the import and export of harp seal skins. Canada claims that Russia is one of the last two major remaining markets for Canadian seal products, reportedly receiving up to 90% of Canada’s exports of seal pelts. IFAW says this is a major victory in the campaign to end commercial sealing, and that it should send a strong message that this is an industry whose time has passed.

“Russia ended its own hunt of harp seals in 2009, after listening to the concerns of the people who felt it was a cruel and unnecessary slaughter,” said Robbie Marsland, UK Director of IFAW. “We are extremely pleased that the Russian government has taken the next logical step by banning all trade in harp seal pelts from other countries as well.”

Warming in the North Atlantic over the last 32 years has significantly reduced winter sea ice cover in harp seal breeding grounds, resulting in sharply higher death rates among seal pups in recent years, according to a new Duke University-led study: here.

THE GREY SEALS OF NOVA SCOTIA: Some light for 2014: here.

Related articles

• WTO Releases Ruling on EU Seal Products Ban (sys-con.com)
• EU ban on seal trade upheld on ‘moral’ grounds (express.co.uk)
• China Showing Opposition to Canada’s Seal Industry (onegreenplanet.org)
• Government to fund development of seal products for Canadian grocery stores (globalnews.ca)
• Its Time for Action (pmlionsnews.wordpress.com)
• World Trade Organisation upholds EU ban on imported seal products (theguardian.com)
• HSI Applauds the World Trade Organization for Upholding EU Seal Products Trade Ban (sys-con.com)