Also note: Facebook event page here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=64247229592
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 23 February 2009
Contact: Dave Shishkoff
Friends of Animals - Victoria, BC, Canada
Mobile: 250-588-0482
dave@friendsofanimals.org
Walk for Seals: Canadians Hit Victoria, BC Streets on March 15th, Demand Stop to Annual Seal Slaughter
Seal advocates are invited to join Friends of Animals in the city of Victoria, British Columbia for a precedent-setting march on Canada's west coast.
"Hundreds of thousands of seals are still shot or clubbed yearly on the ice, under government quotas and assistance," says Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals, an opponent to seal killing for over 30 years. "The Canadian public must demand an end to this despicable policy."
After gathering in Centennial Square by City Hall, hundreds of activists will march through the streets of downtown Victoria. The march will culminate at the BC Legislature, where speakers will inspire more action on the issue.
Dave Shishkoff, Canadian Correspondent for Friends of Animals, states: "Many people care about the seals. Our plan is to call to account the two people in Canada who can stop the killing on the ice floes off Newfoundland: Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans."
Shishkoff continues: "Gail Shea's predecessors have perpetuated human arrogance and violence which the world associates with Canada every spring. It's Gail Shea's time to change history and declare peace for the seals."
Seals are killed for a commercial pelt trade which exists essentially for vanity, and generates very little income to the people pressed by the quota to engage in it. Pelts have dropped from a high of $105 in 2006 to $35 in 2008. The primary markets are in Norway, China, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
The activists demand that Harper's government stops issuing quotas, buys back permits for killing seals, and establishes solid training and job placement in and around Newfoundland.
Shishkoff also calls upon the shops of Victoria, and Canada at large, to cease trading in and displaying fur of any kind.
Friends of Animals members and supporters invite everyone to join us in this walk and rally, to be held on March 15th, 2009. Meet in Centennial Square at noon for the march. Then we'll convene at the Legislature at 1pm, where seal advocates will offer more insight.
Seal killing begins in Canada, and will end in Canada. Canadians are needed to make it happen. Please join us.
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About Friends of Animals: We are a non-profit, international advocacy organization dedicated to the cultivation of a respectful view of nonhuman animals, freeing them from cruelty and institutionalized exploitation around the world. www.FriendsofAnimals.org