Quote Originally Posted by lizbud
A distinction without a difference. I doubt the the baby seal cares which
object is used to bash it's head in.

A club and a hakapik aren't the same. I do feel there is a valid distinction.

The baby seal may not care, but I really don't think it has the cognitive ability to logically reason out the best way to die. Several teams of American and Canadian veterinarians have agreed that the hakapik qualifies as a humane method when used correctly.

In fact, if used correctly, the hakapik produces unconsciousness instantly. That is quicker than with euthanasia, which veterinarians report takes a few seconds. And death in the reports I have read typically occurs instantly or within 30 seconds of unconsciousness... well within the 90 seconds legally allotted. Euthanasia, if you read up on it, usually takes anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 seconds to produce death once the animal is unconscious and the heart and lungs have been stopped by the drug. So really, you could say the hakapik is a quicker way to go.

Either way, if the animal is rendered unsconscious, there isn't going to be a lot of suffering involved.

Rather than outlaw the hakapik because they remind you of caveman, it would help out the seals a lot more to lend your voice to ensuring that all hakapik users are properly trained.