Montreal: Animal rights protestors stripped off in the centre of Montreal to protest against the resumption of seal-hunting in Canada, as the government accused opponents of the hunt of "misinformation."

Braving freezing temperatures and snow yesterday, four nude members of the Concordia Animal Rights Association (CARA) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held up a banner reading: "The naked truth: Canada slaughters seals."

"I will gladly expose my skin if it will help save seals skins," said protestor Melissa Galianos, adding that the fur trade in general was "one of the cruellest industries on the planet."

However Fishing Minister Loyola Hearn preempted the action -- part of an international day of protest -- with a statement yesterday condemning opposition arguments as "based largely on questionable studies and emotional rhetoric."

He stressed the "important contribution that sealing makes to the success of fishing families" and noted it was an "important cultural tradition.". He said these arguments should be heard "above the din of anti-sealing misinformation."

Canada last week set a limit for its annual seal harvest this year of 275,000 harp seals and announced new rules to make the slaughter less cruel. The hunt usually kicks off in late March or April in the southern Gulf of St Lawrence.

The European Union is currently weighing a ban on seal imports that could devastate the industry, following the lead of Belgium and the Netherlands, although new markets have opened up in recent years in China and Russia.
Source : PTI