Written by Jeff Mackey
As we mentioned recently, the EU has issued a ruling that upholds its ban on products from the bloody annual Canadian seal massacre. Now the only remaining challenge to that ban rests with the World Trade Organization (WTO), which just concluded its hearings—with PETA in attendance—and things didn't go well for Canada.
During the hearings, the EU demonstrated that it is not possible to ensure that the seals are unconscious when they are killed. Canada tried to argue that seals decimate cod populations (which local fishers want for themselves), but the EU pointed out that science has shown that the decline of fish populations can be blamed on reckless overfishing.
In the end, if the hearings weren't so important, they might have seemed like a bad joke: Canada succeeded only in calling attention to its own marine mismanagement. This may finally sound the death knell for Canada's seal slaughter, since even its one-time supporters have acknowledged that it has become untenable. We'll keep you posted here at The PETA Files.
Thanks are due to all the good folks who expressed their concerns to the WTO on behalf of PETA or PETA UK, including Jude Law, Pamela Anderson, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, and Sarah McLachlan. They asked the organization to uphold the ban and/or urged the WTO to hold open hearings—which it did, making it possible for a PETA representative to be present.
The end is in sight, but we can't slack off now—please tell Canadian officials that it's time to stop the slaughter, and then spread the word to get more people involved today.
Written by Michelle Kretzer
Canada has tried every trick in the book to get around the European Union's ban on seal fur. But it isn't having much luck.
The most recent ruse was to try to convince the General Court of the European Union to overturn the ban on the grounds that it hurt the Inuit people's livelihood—even though the EU ban makes a very clear exemption for the Inuit, who kill a tiny fraction of seals in Canada.
The group that brought the court case was led by the Fur Institute of Canada. As the case progressed, the group also used a number of deceptive tactics to try to rope PETA into weighing in on the Inuit's actions in a thinly veiled bid to try to make us say something inflammatory that it could use to bolster its weak court case. Among other things, it pretended to be documentarians and reporters, requested PETA speakers at schools, and directly contacted some of our volunteers. But we didn't want to jeopardize this historic ruling, so we kept mum. That's not easy for PETA to do, but it paid off!
This recent court victory may also help the World Trade Organization (WTO) as it considers yet another challenge that Canada has brought against the EU ban. The WTO will have its final hearing on the case in a few days and will return a decision soon afterward. But compassionate people around the world, including Jude Law and Pamela Anderson, are urging the WTO to honor Europeans' wishes and uphold the ban.
Perhaps instead of spending millions of dollars to prop up the fading sealing industry and millions more trying to force countries to resume buying cruel products that they obviously don't want, Canada should devise a practical exit strategy: a government buyout.
Here's how you can help.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Just days after the start of Canada's annual seal slaughter, Anna Karenina star Jude Law appealed to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on PETA UK's behalf, urging panelists to uphold the EU-wide ban on seal fur. The WTO's final hearing on the issue will be held on April 29.
© StarMaxInc.com
I'm writing to urge the panel to uphold this ban, which is in line with the wishes of compassionate people all around the world, including the majority of European citizens," wrote Law in his letter to the WTO. "Even local sentiment is turning, and a lack of markets has led Canadian officials to seriously examine whether the slaughter should end.
Because of the worldwide outcry, all major markets have banned seal-fur imports, including the EU, Mexico, Taiwan, the U.S., and even Russia, which had been importing 95 percent of Canada's seal fur. The Canadian government is challenging the EU ban as a last-ditch effort to try to revive the trade.
"The purpose of the WTO is to support efficient markets, not government decisions to prop up dying industries like the seal slaughter," Law points out. "Rather than using the WTO to prop up a dying industry, Canada should pursue a buyout of the commercial sealing industry – a move that would help both seals and sealers. The world is watching and waiting – please uphold the EU ban."
What You Can Do
We have reached a tipping point in the campaign but still need your help. Please speak up for seals by taking action.
Ever since her red swimsuit days, people have been enamored with PETA's weapon of mass distraction, Pamela Anderson. And now you can have a little piece of the original "Lettuce Lady" for yourself. When Pam and PETA Vice President Dan Mathews spoke to Cambridge University about animal rights, she autographed copies of the Paul McCartney–narrated meat-industry exposé "Glass Walls" for the students. And she autographed a few more to give to lucky PETA Files readers.
To enter to win, simply leave a comment telling us about something Pam-like that you've done to help animals—her résumé is extensive, so there's plenty to choose from. Maybe you've attended a fur demonstration, spoken out against the Canadian seal slaughter, ditched meat, adopted a companion animal, given a speech about animal rights, switched to cruelty-free cosmetics, or acted to get horse-drawn carriages off the dangerous streets.
Or maybe—like Pam—you've done all of the above. Just tell us about it, and two winners will be selected at random.
And if reading about all of Pam's compassionate actions has inspired you, plenty of animals still need your help, so get out there and get Pamelactive!
The contest will end on March 27, 2013, and we'll contact the winners by March 29, 2013. By commenting here, you're acknowledging that you've read and you agree to our contest terms and conditions and our privacy policy and you're also agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with those policies as well as to receiving e-mails from us.
International Women's Day, March 8, is a day for women to celebrate the many victories that we have achieved in our fight for equality, to honor all the gutsy gals who made it happen, and to collaborate to make the future bright for girls.
PETA has been proud to work with many powerful women of every age, race, and sexual orientation to help animals. The following brazen beauties used their most valuable asset—their minds—to speak up for the oppressed because, as Dr. Jane Goodall so eloquently put it, "If we do not do something to help these creatures, we make a mockery of the whole concept of justice":
1. Variety magazine honored Lea Michele at its annual Power of Women celebration for her work with PETA.
2. Joan Jett is a feminist icon—and she rocks for animals, too.
3. Not only does Taraji P. Henson have an angelic face, she also is an angel for our sisters in the animal kingdom, too.
4. Marlen Esparza is tough on her opponents and tough on cruelty.
5. Of course, women excel in science—and as Torrey DeVitto points out, they can do it humanely, too.
6. The list of PETA Honorary Director Pamela Anderson's brave acts for animals is endless. She proves that women can have beauty, brains, and brawn.
7. The fierce Kate del Castillo uses her powerful persona to help the defenseless.
8. WNBA star Candace Parker won't let male ballers soak up all the glory—and she won't let people glorify fur, either.
9. Ending cruelty and sexism? Jorja Fox is on the case.
10. Wendy Williams knows that women don't have to fit a cookie-cutter image to be a true beauty.
Girl power!
As Canada's bloody annual seal massacre approaches again this spring, the at-risk animals can always count on their country's own superhero for animals, Pamela Anderson. The bombshell from British Columbia has submitted an appeal on behalf of PETA urging the World Trade Organization (WTO) to uphold the European Union's (EU) ban on seal-fur imports.
The WTO's public hearings on trade arising from the cruel seal slaughter begin in Geneva on February 18. All major markets have banned seal-pelt imports, including the EU, the U.S., Taiwan, Mexico, and most recently Russia, which had been importing 95 percent of the Canadian sealskins, marking one of the biggest victories in the history of animal rights!
Please help Pam and PETA save seals from being bludgeoned and skinned alive for their fur—urge Canada's leaders to support Sen. Mac Harb's bill to end the commercial seal massacre today!
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake traveled to Italy to tie the knot and snatched up a wedding gift from PETA that was sure to delight the devoted dog guardians: Daisy Dog Studio's Tea for Two Teapot.
And while everyone was busy tweeting about Jessica and Justin's wedding, they didn't forget about animals:
After years of being teased by their buddy, vegetarian Wu-Tang Clan member GZA, about eating meat, Method Man and Redman have gone vegetarian. Considering that PETA pal Masta Killa is also vegetarian, perhaps the next album that Wu-Tang drops will have an ode to veggies?
The stars of The Big Bang Theory didn't have to travel to space to get vegan food all over their faces (although they probably would have enjoyed that). They just competed in a vegan pie-eating contest.
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
When Russia banned the import of all harp-seal products from Canada, it wasn't because lawmakers thought that they would get flowers from Pamela Anderson if they did so. But that's certainly not a bad perk.
© Taylor Hill
Pamela found herself in a new role as diplomat this week when she joined PETA Vice President Dan Mathews at the Russian Consulate in New York City, where they met with trade officials to bolster Russia's ban on seal fur from Pamela's native Canada.
"We are very proud that our country joined the U.S., the European Union, and Mexico in refusing to support the shooting and bludgeoning of baby harp seals," said Russia's Deputy Trade Representative Timofey S. Borodin, who along with Senior Consul Sergey Logachev, accepted a bouquet of pink roses from Pamela as thanks for their country's legislation.
Pamela had led an international appeal on PETA's behalf to urge the country to stop supporting the barbaric killing of seals in her native Canada, and it took just one year for Russia to pass the ban. And since Russia had been importing 95 percent of the seal pelts that Canada sold, well, it isn't hard to see what that did to the market for seal fur.
The slaughter suffered another blow when Canadian Sen. Mac Harb introduced legislation to end it. You can help seals by e-mailing Canadian lawmakers and asking them to support this momentous bill.
As Canadian Sen. Mac Harb prepared to address the Senate about his bill to phase-out the seal slaughter last week, he got some unexpected support from another well-known Ontario native.
Photo: Don Flood|Hair: Giannandrea for The Wall Group|Makeup: Gloria Noto for Jed Root
The Secret Life of the American Teenager star Megan Park is proud to hail from Canada, and she wrote to each senator in her native Ontario on PETA's behalf expressing her support for Bill S-210 and urging the senators to pass it:
Since I play a teenager on TV, I know that young people everywhere are becoming increasingly aware of issues that affect animals, and like me, they don't want to see baby seals bludgeoned and skinned alive to make fur coats.
The Senate voted unanimously to continue debate on the bill. From American teenagers to Russian prime ministers to Canadian actors to British rockers, the world is sending Canada a message that is loud and clear: It's time to end the seal slaughter. If you haven't already done so, please add your voice to the chorus today.
Last week after Canadian Sen. Mac Harb announced that he would introduce a bill to end the seal slaughter, PETA immediately posted an action alert on our website asking our members to urge Canadian senators to support the bill. You responded in droves: Within two days, some 50,000 of you asked them to pass the bill and end the slaughter. Hollywood jumped in, too, and soon a link to our action alert had reached millions of people via Twitter.
Sam Simon, Stephanie Pratt, Jessica-Jane Clement, Joanna Krupa, Angela Simmons, Laura Vandervoort, Sheneka Adams, Jayde Nicole, Elisabetta Canalis, and Jessica Veronica, also tweeted their support, and before the bill had even been introduced, the worldwide support for it was evident.
With public support for the bill obviously so overwhelming, Sen. Larry Campbell seconded it after it was introduced, and the Senate voted almost unanimously to hear arguments on it. The bill will now be debated, so we still need everyone to continue to e-mail Canada's senators and urge them to support this historic piece of legislation.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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