Dublin, Ireland Sealhunt Demo-

Now in its 5th year, almost 50 members of Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) recently gathered at the Canadian Embassy in Dublin to peaceful protest the killing of baby seals which takes place at the end of March every year.

During a lunchtime protest which was also attended by ARAN members from Navan, Kilkenny, Limerick and Sligo who chanted "Shame Shame Shame On Canada" another ARAN member screened footage of the hunt in 2006 with our new Body Screen TV which showed huge crowds of passersby what Canada is desperate to hide.

Shortly after the protest, up to 17 members of ARAN then went onto protest Brown Thomas's use of fur. Activists brought their peaceful protest inside the store to educate their customers about how animals are cruelly killed on fur farms, they unfurled a huge banner whilst chanting "Fur Is Murder" before taking their protest outside the main doors of BT which was watched by huge crowds all trying to get in on the action by taking pictures on their camera phones.

All in all a very successful day in terms and anti-fur campaign.

ARAN continues to be a proud, peaceful, legal and professional voice for animals - we feel it's the best way to go in order to get the public on our side.

Shortly after the protest we handed in a three page letter on behalf of our members and supporters across the country calling on Canada to stop killing seals. Quietly behind the scenes ARAN continues to work to support the international campaign to save the seals and earlier this year we worked with HSUS to lobby Irish MEP's to support an EU ban on seal products coming into Europe, thankfully their support was hugely overwhelming.

Canada's annual seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth. Last year, the world looked on in horror as the Canadian government permitted the slaughter of more than 330,000 harp seals. During the hunt, baby seals are shot or repeatedly clubbed. Sealers bludgeon the animals with clubs and "hakapiks" (clubs with metal hooks on their ends) and drag the seals- who are still conscious- across the ice floes with boat hooks.

An estimated 42 percent of the animals are skinned alive. Hunters toss dead and dying seals into heaps and leave their carcasses to rot on the ice floes because there is no market for seal meat. Veterinarians who have investigated the hunt have found that hunters routinely fail to comply with Canada's animal welfare standards.

It is legal in Canada to kill seal pups when they are about 12 days old. During last year's hunt, almost all the seals killed were 3 months old or younger. Many had not yet learned how to swim or eaten their first solid meals. Baby seals are helpless and have no way to escape from the sealers' clubs. The sealing industry claims that it is killing more seals because of an increased demand for fur. Although the U.S. banned the sale of seal fur in 1972, anyone wearing the fur of minks, rabbits, foxes, or any other kind of animal is responsible for creating a demand for fur, which pushes Canadian hunters to club more seals each year.

John Carmody | Campaigns Coordinator | Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN)
120 Vale Avenue | Carew Park | Limerick | Ireland
Tel: 087-6275579 | Intl' +353-87-6275579 |
Email: arancampaigns@eircom.net
Website: www.ARAN.ie

"Fighting Animal Abuse Across Ireland" - Please include all previous correspondence when replying!

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." Thomas Edison 1847-1931, Inventor and Entrepreneur One of the best ways you can help ARAN is to get actively involved with our ongoing research, lobbying, events, projects, peaceful protests and tabling events all over Ireland. Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) is against all forms of animal cruelty and is a grassroots group working to speak out for the rights of all animals here in Ireland whilst helping to promote and support European and international campaigns to end cruelty to animals.

ARAN works with volunteers, activists, members of the public and other animal protection groups. We firmly believe that by working together we can do so much more and be far more effective. Please be sure to check out ARAN.ie on a frequent basis to read about some of the work ARAN does to help save animals and stop the cruelty, together we can move mountains for the animals and we need you on our side.

From ARAN to its supporters:
I am writing to say thank you for all the amazing support you have given our protest yesterday against Canada's slaughter, now going into its 5th year.

From 12 noon right through until 2pm supporters of ARAN came and went during their lunch breaks and many more took time off work and some even traveled from Sligo, Navan and Kilkenny and at one time swelling to over 40 members.

Many of you I would of known, but it was also great to see tons of kind new people who would have being in contact with us here at ARAN from time to time so you're all very welcome too. We also used a fantastic body screen TV to show footage of last years hunt.

Thanks for your continued support, ARAN is not finishing with just a protest outside the Canadian Embassy because we work year round on the campaign with Sea Shepherd and Humane Society of the United States to help with the international campaign, we also handed in a three page letter against Ireland's opposition to the slaughter yesterday.

Again we are so grateful for all the loyal supporters we have at ARAN, you never fail to come out and support our work and if you can't, you'll always do whatever you can behind the scenes.

ARAN will always continue on to be an effective, positive and peaceful group working as hard and as fast as we can for animals and doing it in a way that will attract the most support from members of the public because after all the animals need all the help they can get. Please see attached picture, more will be available on our website www.ARAN.ie soon so keep checking back.