This, ladies and gentlemen, is the seal slaughter:

Credit: Sea Shepherd

Yeah. We thought that it was awful too.

How can you help end this atrocity? Glad you asked. Click here.

Posted by Christine Doré

This Sunday, March 15, is International Day of Action Against the Seal Slaughter. Why it's not on all the calendars between Purim and St. Patrick's Day, we'll never know, but, hey, we're doing our part to get the word out.

OK, so this event is big—international, even, as the name suggests. Animal protection groups of all sizes from all around the world have lots of things planned for Sunday. But you don't need nonprofit status to get in on the action. In fact, all you need is your own dang self—or just a group of your like-minded BFFs. Here are some entirely do-able ways to become an action hero for seals:

• You've probably already followed through on our action alert, but if not, this would be the time for it, don't 'cha think?



• If you're a Facebook fanatic, you can post our action alert to your page or sign our petition—and get your friends to sign it too.



• Think of someplace where lots of people will be on Sunday and set up a table there with information about the seal slaughter.



• Pick out a busy street corner or sidewalk—in front of a fur store, say—and hand out our attention-getting "Blood on the Ice" leaflets.



• Share our YouTube video with everyone you know.



• If you don't have time, but you do have money, donate some to us and support our work for seals and all animals.



• If you really want to get the message out loud and clear, host your very own demo against the seal slaughter! Don't worry, we've got your back! Click here to order a poster for your event and click here to order a seal mask. Take photos at your demo and e-mail them to our activist liaisons at ATeam@peta.org. We've got a guide that might help, too; you can check that out here.

And that's just for starters. For more ways to be an action hero for animals all year 'round, click the "Get Active" link at the top of this page and check out our Guide to Becoming an Activist—that is, if you're ready to become a superhero!

Posted by Jeff Mackey

With only three days left until the International Day of Action Against the Canadian Seal Slaughter (for the math-impaired, that's March 15), we're gearing up to show our snowy neighbors to the north that the world is watching as they prepare for their annual massacre of hundreds of thousands of baby seals. People are understandably outraged that baby seals are bludgeoned and skinned alive for their fur, and some people are directing that anger into creative ways to spread the message and get others involved. Check out this Claymation video that some folks with a rather wicked sense of humor put together:

We're not condoning violence in any way, but according to this video, even the Abominable Snowman is ticked off at Canada's seal killers.

Don't worry, even if you're not the creative type or can't make Claymation videos, you can still speak up for seals. Click here to write to the Olympic Organizing Committee and the Canadian Prime Minister to demand that they help bring an immediate end to the seal massacre.

Posted by Liz Graffeo

With the start of the annual Canadian seal slaughter just a few weeks away, PETA took to the frozen Rideau Canal in Ottawa to help stop the killings. Skaters looked on in wonderment as activists recreated the "crime scene" from an attack on a baby seal. Check out these photos from the demo:

If you haven't witnessed the seal slaughter firsthand, you'll have to trust us that it looks a lot like this bloody mess—but with seal babies' corpses and wailing mothers nearby.

A voice from above says: "Stop the Seal Slaughter!"

Lord knows you don't want this muck on your skates—or on your hands.

Inspired yet? Learn more about our campaign against the Canadian seal slaughter and what you can do about it.

Posted by Lianne Turner

Happy "Win It" Wednesday to you! With Canada's annual seal slaughter looming this month, we decided that a real hero for seals should be featured in our weekly giveaway. Musician and animal rights activist Morrissey has refused to play shows in Canada until the government agrees to stop letting hunters smash in baby seals' skulls. The former Smiths frontman just released his ninth solo album, Years of Refusal, and we snagged three limited-edition vinyl copies to pass along to you.

How do you win? Post a comment about your favorite thing that Morrissey has done for animals. The three people who post the most heartfelt answers will each win a copy of this limited-edition vinyl.

The contest ends on March 18, 2009, and we'll contact the winners on March 20, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Check back every Wednesday for new prizes. Good luck!

Posted by Lianne Turner

While most of us would never dream of bashing in a helpless baby seal's skull, there are people out there who don't even think twice about it. More than 205,000 seals were killed last year in Canada's annual seal massacre, which is why we sent a "baby seal" to Ottawa, Ontario, to ask the locals for hugs instead of clubs. Check out these photos to see PETA's baby seal in action:

Want to help stop the Canadian seal slaughter? Let the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Organizing Committee know how you feel here and ask your friends to do the same.

Posted by Lianne Turner

Yesterday, PETA held a press conference in Vancouver to announce our ramped-up campaign against the Canadian seal slaughter. We'll be running the campaign up to and through the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, which will be held in the city. Our goal is to switch some of the focus from Canada's Games to Canada's shame—the annual massacre of hundreds of thousands of baby seals. To illustrate the worldwide outrage over Canada's despicable seal slaughter, our international affiliates also held protests in Australia and France yesterday.

PETA's official press conference in Canada

PETA Asia-Pacific's demo in Australia

PETA France's demo in Paris

PETA Germany's demo in Berlin

Posted by Alisa Mullins

Another year has come and gone, and still our snow-covered neighbor to the north continues to back the annual massacre of baby seals—the largest and bloodiest marine-mammal hunt on Earth. With the start of Canada's seal slaughter only weeks away, we held a press conference in front of Vancouver City Hall to kick off our campaign to stop sealers from bashing the heads of hundreds of thousands of baby seals.

Vancouver will be home to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, which will put Canada on center stage for much of the coming year, and we plan to put its shameful hunt there, too, for all the world to scrutinize. We have written to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee asking for their help with persuading government officials to outlaw the hunt.

There's no word yet on Prime Minister Stephen Harper's reaction to our press conference, but he can be sure that we will continue to be a thorn in his side until he puts an end to the bloody seal slaughter once and for all.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

britannica / CC

Every year in Canada, over 330,000 harp seals are bludgeoned to death as the world looks on in horror. Recently, opposition to this cruel industry has been mounting and the international community is speaking out against this bloody massacre. Belgium and the Netherlands have passed laws banning the importation of seal fur, and the E.U. is turning its back on seal skin. Here in the U.S., the sale of seal fur has been banned since 1972.

In an attempt to save this industry, Canada has implemented new standards aimed at making the hunt more humane, including the following:

1. The use of hakapiks (clubs with metal hooks on their ends) on seals more than 1 year old is now banned. Ironically, it is legal in Canada to kill seal pups when they are about 12 days old. During last year's hunt, almost all the seals who were killed were 3 months old or younger.


2. Sealers must now feel seals' heads to confirm that they are dead.


3. Sealers must wait 60 seconds before skinning the seals to ensure that they are dead.

Talk about setting the bar low.

I'm sorry, but impaling baby animals in the jaw with hooks, dragging them across the ice, and throwing them into a pile where they choke on their own blood before skinning them for the sake of fashion does not fit anyone's definition of "humane." These laws are a pathetic attempt to misguide shoppers, but the industry is not changing at all. Canada, if you really want to improve the lives of seals, won't you please ban the seal hunt immediately?

Posted by Liz Graffeo

askmen/Creative Commons

I got the following e-mail yesterday from PETA Director Michael McGraw, who was in Paris to accompany Pamela Anderson after she was asked to fill in at Brigitte Bardot’s annual press conference to protest the Canadian seal slaughter. Brigitte Bardot has been an advocate for animal rights since before most people had even heard of the concept, and she has some mighty big shoes to fill—but if there’s anyone in the world who can do it, it’s Pam. Here’s how it all went down, according to Michael:

"Brigitte Bardot asked Pamela to fill in for her today at her annual news conference to protest the Canadian seal slaughter (Brigitte is ill and couldn't make it). Pam of course did an amazing job. We arrived at Bardot's offices to a swarm of press. Pam read a 1-page statement about how, as a Canadian, she is appalled that the seal hunt continues...she described in graphic detail how the seals are beaten to death, and encouraged consumers to boycott designers who work with any fur. She then screened a graphic 2-minute video of the seal slaughter. The press were stunned. After a few words from the Bardot Foundation's campaigns director, Bardot herself called and was put on speakerphone...in front of all of the press, she thanked Pamela for continuing on the campaign in her place, and in broken English called Pam her daughter and her Valentine. Pam was so moved; it was very sweet. Pam was then presented with a heart-shaped bouquet of roses and a personal letter from BB. Then off we went to the Canadian embassy (with AP reporter and photographer and about 15 paparazzi in tow) where Pamela asked to see the Canadian ambassador so she could personally deliver a letter from BB to him in protest of the seal slaughter. Photographers went wild. We were turned away at security, but it made a great photo and a shocked guard promised to hand over the letter for her."

If you want to know what all the fuss is about, you can watch the footage Pam screened for press (and sign a petition asking the Canadian government to stop the seal hunt) here, and there are a few pics from the event here. Thank you Pam and Brigitte!

A little bit of star-spotting for you today, this one courtesy of People magazine. The lovely Sienna Miller was photographed this week wearing a stylin’ sweater with an animal rights message. Three of my favorite things in one picture: Seals, Sandwiches, and Sienna. Amazing.

I just wanted to give you a quick update on the sealers trapped in the ice in Newfoundland.

Well, it turns out that there are still hundreds of hunters trapped, and now they’re starting to run out of food, water and fuel. The Canadian coast guard is working hard to rescue them before it’s too late. Now I don’t wish suffering on anyone, not even callous hunters who cruelly kill baby seals who are too young to even swim or get away, but the good news here is that since so many hunters have been stuck for so long, it looks like they’re going to come up around 60,000 seal pups short of their quota this year, which means that a whole bunch more of these cute little dudes will actually get to grow up . . . and that, of course, is a very good thing!

Is it me or is the karmic irony in this story almost too much to handle? Check out this ABC News piece for the full report.