Ellen DeGeneres Asks Fans to Help Stop Canadian Seal Slaughter

by Annie Hartnett · 2011-04-11 13:18:00 UTC
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Ellen DeGeneres has over one million fans on Facebook, but I'm pretty sure I'm her #1 fan after her latest move of animal activism: the vegan talk show host recently asked her viewers to help end the Canadian commercial seal hunt.

On her show's webpage, DeGeneres writes: “Seal hunting is one of the most atrocious and inhumane acts against animals allowed by any government. Canada is allowing the slaughter of a record number of seals in their 2011 hunting season, which is going on right now. The seals are often younger than 3 months old.”

DeGeneres then links fans to PETA’s website, where donations are accepted to help stop the seal hunt. Close to $45,000 has already been contributed from seal-lovers worldwide.

Ellen's call to action is timely, as the seal hunt is just getting underway. This year, the Canadian government has sanctioned the slaughter of 468,200 seals, a 20 percent increase from 2010 slaughter numbers.

As Ellen DeGeneres suggested, donating to PETA's anti-fur campaign is a wonderful way to help the seals, who are killed for their pelts, meat, and oil. But you can also save seals without involving your credit card: The Humane Society of the United States has called for a boycott of Canadian seafood, as many Canadian fishermen hunt seals during the fishing off-season.

In order to help eaters avoid supporting the seal slaughter unknowingly, HSUS has thoughtfully put together a search engine for restaurants in the U.S. that participate in the Canadian seafood boycott.

And seal-lovers everywhere should be aware of one restaurant that doesn't make HSUS's list of eateries: Red Lobster. The seafood chain is the world's largest purchaser of Canadian seafood, and is thus a huge supporter of the commercial seal hunt.

Right now, Red Lobster is the least seal-friendly eatery in the United States. But the restaurant could quickly go from zero to hero: With its 690 North American locations, Red Lobster would pack a powerful punch for seals if they joined the boycott of Canadian seafood.

Sign our petition to tell Red Lobster to stop selling Canadian seafood until the commercial seal slaughter ends for good.

Photo Credit: ronpaulrevolt2008

Annie Hartnett is a writer and animal advocate who has worked for several wildlife rehabilitation centers and environmental programs.

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