By: Sydney Wagner

About Harp seals Harp seals are one of the most endangered species on earth. They are famous and hunted for there fluffy white fur but only the babies have the white fur. The adults have a grayish color with a harp shaped ring on their back. Mother seals recognize their pups with their scent and reject every other pup. Water is preferred over land for these creatures. I would prefer water too if I could hold my breath as long as 15 minutes like the harp seal. In the wild they can live up to 20 years while weighing about 250 to 300 pounds. They live in near Namibian and in the waters of the Atlantic and the Arctic Oceans. They are carnivores.They eat about 67 different kinds of fish including cod, herring, and red fish.Their main predators are humans. The teeth of the baby harp seals grow only when they eat something.

Why write about the Harp Seal? Harp seals are one of the largest slaughter of any marine animal on the planet. They are killed for their beautiful fur for selfish reasons. Babies are the most in danger. They get clubbed,shot, and skinned when they are only about a few weeks to a few months old. I wrote about these amazing creatures because I feel that it is important that we know what is going on in the world. The human race started hunting animals because they needed them to survive. For example the Native Americans thought of animals as sacred creatures and if they had to kill one they didn't let anything go to waste. Now we think of animals poorly and kill them for selfish reasons. We have grown a lot since the beginning of time but we still need to think of the creatures that got us here and how they help us in time of need(food, drink, or a friend to talk to).

The Sad Truth When the hunters find the seals they club them with a hakapiks. A hakapiks is like a pole with a sharp hook on the end. Then they do the blinking eye test which is where they make sure that the seal is not blinking. If it is blinking they beat it until it is no longer. Then they skin it right there. Sometimes they will hook the seals to the hakapiks and drag them to the ship, whether its dead or alive. The Namibian cape fur seal slaughter began July 1st.Last year, about 40,000 seal pups were corralled into a small area with their mothers, clubbed, and stabbed to death. Not only are they hunted but global warming is not helping then either. They like the chilly regions and as we all know they are melting away. They need the thick ice because that is where the pups are born. When they are born they don't know how to swim so they need to stay on the ice. What if there he was no ice? What would happen to the population of the harp seal? Each year, sealers kill about 1/3 of the pups born. That doesn't include the ones that were injured and hid for their lives.

Who would buy these pelts and what for? Although the European white coat seal pelt import ban enacted in 1987 had a dramatic effect on the seal pelt market, the market began to grow in the 1990's thanks to efforts by the Canadian government. The victims were baby seals just grown out of their white coat stage. Ninety five percent of the seals killed in the Canadian seal hunt are between 12 days and 4 months old. The processing of the pelts requires more than a month and involves several steps. Each pelt is approximately 3-4 feet long by 2-3 feet wide. The usual process involves soaking them in brine for several weeks and then tanning them, but the pelts can be stored for several months in brine without any degradation. Some of the pelts are also dyed. After the pelts are tanned, they sell them to brokers, who in turn sell them to fur coat and accessory manufacturers in China and other countries in the Far East, Russia, Siberia, and Europe as the table on the next page says.

The following stores have sold real harp seal furs. ~Prada ~Birger Christensen ~Dolce & Gabbana ~Gucci ~Versace ~Louis Vuitton Soft, stylish, and dead

Why should we care? We should care because they are one of the many creatures that we have to share this planet with and treat it like it was another human being. We need to learn that there is more than just humans in this world. Think about it. What if you were a seal that was being hunted by sealers? What would you want to say to them? That they were being unfair and that you have a family just like they do.

How can we help? One way you can help the harp seals is by boycotting Canadian seafood. Sealers are fisherman, off season they kill seals for an extra buck. If we stop buying their fish they might learn a lesson that if they are going to hurt something we'll hurt them in their pocketbooks. If they have a hard time supporting their lives they might rethink and change their mind. Another way to help the seals is by protesting. Each year, people put pressure on the sealers and the fishing industry that supports the yearly massacre. If you would like to donate or if you would like more information you can go to

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