|
|
The group was founded in 1969 when Brian Davis saw a seal hunt special on CBC.
What probably began as a noble cause has slowly turned into a money hungry operation which buys credibility
instead of earning it. On their web page they spout great ideals like working to find a balance between humans
and animals and how they realize it will be a relationship built on cooperation, blah, blah, blah. All sounds
good but when put to the test the IFAW falls flat. Why? Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching. Where is the money in
compromise and the seal hunt is making them lots of money.
In 1996 Annemieke Roell, an IFAW campaigner for thirteen years, was fired when she attempted to broker a deal
between the organization and the sealers. The offer was to become partners by setting up an independent body
with two fundamental roles. The first would be to ensure the sustainability of the seal hunt, and for this
purpose scientists would be assigned to the body from the IFAW and the Canadian government. The second would
be to oversee the marketing of the hunt's products in ways acceptable to all parties. This would have given
the IFAW an unprecedented amount of control in the harvest, a level to which no other environmental group had
ever attained. Quite obviously the IFAW refused and Roell was fired, so much for that lets work together ideal
their present web page likes to flog. It is interesting to note that in the same year this offer was refused,
IFAW founder, Brian Davis took a salary of almost $300,000 while in semi-retirement. Of course he didn't agree
to the proposal, business was good and, I guess, he didn't want to share. So much for the noble principles the
organization was founded under. At the time Roell was quoted as saying,
|
|
"Millions and millions of dollars are being spent on fighting quote unquote this issue, there are a lot more
pressing issues in the world to worry about - animal welfare issues - than a fairly small hunt of an animal
that isn't endangered. As long as it [the seal hunt] is done in a humane way, it almost seems like a waste of
time and money really."
|
This from a lifetime animal welfare advocate who while out from under the cloak of corporate evil could speak
the truth about the seal hunt.
In more recent history, November of 2005 there was a meeting in St. John's where members of the federal
government, harvesters, fisheries union representatives and conservation groups where invited to discuss the
seal hunt and its future. The IFAW never showed up and neither did any of the other protest groups. These
groups preach an apparently transparent cooperation policy.
|
|
Page 1
|
Page 2
|
Page 3
|
Page 4
|
Page 5
|
| |
|