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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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Canadian Gov Guts Seal, Eats Raw Heart

'Delicious' gesture meant to show support for Inuit hunts

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(Newser) – When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And in Canada's Arctic, that means gutting a freshly slaughtered seal, slicing out its heart, and chowing down, reports AFP. Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean kicked off a tour of the region yesterday by dining on raw seal as a gesture of support to Canada’s Inuit population, on edge after the EU recently banned seal products. The Queen’s rep said the raw meat was “like sushi” and declared it “absolutely delicious.”

Canada’s head of state also endorsed the nutritional value of seal, CTV adds. “It’s very rich in protein,” Jean said. Canadian officials say that seal hunting accounts for 35% of income for hunters and makes up 20% of the economy in certain regions. It’s also tradition. “These are ancient practices that are part of a way of life,” Jean said. “If you can't understand that, you're completely missing the reality of life here.”

Governor General Michaelle Jean and her husband Jean-Daniel Lafond.
Governor General Michaelle Jean and her husband Jean-Daniel Lafond.   (AP Photo)
A hunter clubs a harp seal pup on the opening day of Canada's 2008 commercial seal hunt.
A hunter clubs a harp seal pup on the opening day of Canada's 2008 commercial seal hunt.   (AP Photo)
Harp seal carcasses litter the ice during the annual East Coast seal hunt in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence around Quebec's Iles de la Madeleine.
Harp seal carcasses litter the ice during the annual East Coast seal hunt in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence around Quebec's Iles de la Madeleine.   (AP Photo)
A mother seal plays with a baby seal.
A mother seal plays with a baby seal.   (AP Photo)
A baby seal.
A baby seal.   (AP Photo)
Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean eats the heart of a seal during a community feast in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada.
Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean eats the heart of a seal during a community feast in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada.   (AP Photo)
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12 comments
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lonewolf17
May 26, 09 1:55 PM CDT
Haha only in Canada that's pretty funny. I can't wait for the animal rights people to go nuts over this. Reply
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Yourself
May 26, 09 5:47 PM CDT
you're missing the point, they ARE going nuts over this, and have been for the last god knows how many years... Greenpeace always protests the slaughter, and yet they never give credit to the fact that this is a way of life for the natives!
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+1
TerrifiedCitizen
May 26, 09 2:13 PM CDT
Now if she'll just have the skin made into a stole to wear, that should seal the deal... Reply
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Newser001
May 26, 09 2:17 PM CDT
This is just complete political spin / bullsh!t - Its all about seal pelts, not food and has absolutely nothing to do with the indigenous Inuit population. Each year, in the harp seal slaughter, a few thousand Canadian fishermen bludgeon and shoot two-week to two-month-old seals, hook and drag them and skin many of these pups while they are still alive and conscious. They then sell the skins to European and Asian furriers. The bodies of these seals are left to rot. In this competitive commercial slaughter, each sealer charges across the ice floes in an effort to kill as many seal pups as he can before someone else gets the pups. In 2008, sealers on longliners on the Front (the second phase of the seal hunt, off the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador) killed their quota of seals in just two days. Canadian fishermen have killed over 60,000 baby harp seals in 2009. But many have stayed home this year, fearing that the European Union would ban all seal product imports. That fear has now been realized. Reply
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+3
IN RESPONSE:
Nagual
May 27, 09 11:29 AM CDT
Oh get off it, the seal population AS IS is completely unkempt and is severe causing environmental damage to the eastern seabord. Since 1970, the harp seal population has tripled and currently stands at 5.4 million animals. The only absurdity here is the propaganda and falsehoods so easily bought into by people like you. You're effectively condoning the destruction of an entire culture. Get off the PETA website and read a little.
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