The 2009 Canadian seal slaughter has officially ended, and we’re happy to tell you that this year, about three-fourths of the seals who were scheduled to be bludgeoned or shot to death during the annual war on seals were spared. More than 300,000 of these gentle creatures were scheduled to die during the blood bath on the ice, but more than 200,000 seals did not suffer the cruel fate that Canada had intended for them. They did not have to feel the pain of having their skull bashed in or feel what it’s like to have a hook stuck through their eye, cheek, or mouth—just so that their fur could be stolen for “fashion.”

This dramatic decline in the number of seals who were killed during the slaughter is largely because the price of seal fur has fallen over the years as the disgust over the slaughter increases. The European Union and the U.S. have banned seal products, and world leaders have spoken out against the massacre. Demonstrations from London to Hamburg and Los Angeles to Toronto have made the headlines, and kind people all over the world have sent a strong, united message that the seal slaughter must end.

While sealers bludgeoned and killed far fewer baby seals than they have in years past and people around the world are speaking out against the slaughter, our campaign is far from over. PETA will be fighting on for these defenseless animals until the Canadian government backs down and ends the slaughter for good, but we still need your help.

Please seize this opportunity to urge Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to use their clout to help stop the slaughter, since all eyes are on Canada as it prepares to host the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Visit OlympicShame2010.com for new ways that you can help save seals, and keep fighting with us until we win this battle for mother and baby seals on the ice!

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