RED CARPET ROXY'S "RED ALERT OF THE WEEK" APRIL 6,2009

Photograph by Jurgen Freund

Happy Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month! Every April, the ASPCA signifies the plight of animals by dedicating and heightening the awareness of animal and wildlife welfare issues, and this April is no different. As a matter of fact, this week's "Red Alert of the Week" leads us to our neighbor from the North, Canada. Every year at this time, the government makes it legal for sealers to hunt and slaughter seals-some of them only a few weeks old. According to the Humane Society, "it is the largest slaughter of marine mammals in the world." Seals are typically clubbed or shot to death for their fur and are sometimes cut open while still alive. As you can imagine, there is nothing "humane" about this process-in fact, the Canadian government has made it legal for the sealers to kill 280,000 seals this year-up 5,000 seals from last year and generally, sealers are not penalized if they exceed the number allowed. It is not uncommon for tens of thousands of seals to be killed in a matter of days! You can read more about this senseless practice on the Humane Society's website at: http://www.hsus.org/protectseals.html

I had the pleasure of interviewing Nigel Barker of "America's Next Top Model" on this very issue that he is so passionate about at a STYLE360 party in his honor last September during New York Fashion Week. He has documented the hunt with his own lens, and you can view it here.

The European Union will decide in a few weeks if it will ban the trade of seal products and Russia has made the announcement that they will stop the killing of baby harp seals. Canada is still holding out in favor of the barbaric hunt.

Thankfully, there are many Canadians who do not support the hunt, and one in particular, Senator Marc Harb has come forward to express his and others beliefs by creating a petition urging the Canadian government to ban the seal hunt and to try to transition these commercial sealers into work that isn't cruel to animals. Here is the link to the petition.

Also, learn about how you can let your Senators know how you feel on this issue and sponsor the Levin-Collins seal hunt resolution impelling the Canadian government to end this horrific practice by visiting this link.

The Humane Society's ProtectSeals team is on the ground in Canada documenting and recording the hunt and its aftermath. You can make a donation to their efforts of trying to protect the seals here.

You can make your voice heard by signing a petition, making a donation, and/or creating awareness by getting the word out. Nothing you do is too insignificant or ineffective, especially when it comes to the lives of the seals.