Seal hunters return
The week's news at a glance.
Cap-aux-Meules, Canada
The commercial hunt for baby harp seals has undergone a quiet revival in Canada, The New York Times reported this week. Sales of seal skins collapsed in the 1980s, after animal-rights activists campaigned against seal hunting by airing films of men clubbing white-coated pups to death in the snow. The U.S. and Europe banned seal-fur imports, and Canada sharply limited the hunt. This year the Canadian government decided to allow the killing of 350,000 baby seals, the most in 50 years. The boom has been fueled by new markets in Russia and Poland. Activists responded with a new campaign featuring T-shirts saying, “Club Sandwiches, Not Seals.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The marvelous powers of mucus
The Explainer It's snot just a pesky cold symptom
-
What to know about the 'no tax on tips' policy
The Explainer The new bill would make tip income exempt from federal income taxes
-
Dehorning rhinos sharply cuts poaching, study finds
Speed Read The painless procedure may be an effective way to reduce the widespread poaching of rhinoceroses