title: Animal welfare and the harp seal hunt in Atlantic Canada.
abstract: Much attention has been given over the years to animal welfare issues surrounding the seal hunt in Atlantic Canada. However, very little information is available on this subject in the scientific literature. This article reports the results of observations made by representatives of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association at the hunt in recent years and compares them with observations made by members of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The conclusion is that the large majority of seals taken during this hunt (at best, 98% in work reported here) are killed in an acceptably humane manner. However, the small proportion of animals that are not killed effectively justifies continued attention to this hunt on the part of the veterinary profession.
authors.affiliation: Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 4P3.
authors.forename: Pierre-Yves
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Daoust
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crook
authors.forename: Trent K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Bollinger
authors.forename: Keith G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada; D006197:Hair; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000293:injuries; D012886:Skull; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000473:pathology; D014741:Video Recording