Ok, I have to ask out of curiousity to everyone who is arguing that they are against the hunt because the method of killing is inhumane... why do you feel that correctly using a hakapik or large-caliber rifle is inherently inhumane?

I have a few expert who weigh in on it's being humane, but I seriously would like to hear what it is that seems so inherently wrong about this method. It is at least as quick as a gunshot, and I feel more 'sporting' (in a way, not really sure how to say it, really) than shooting from a distant ship.

But regardless, here are some of the expert's quotes I have dredged up offa the web:

First one supporting the Canadian seal hunts, since that seems to be the only one I hear people here getting worked up about:

"The group notes that the Canadian Harp Seal Hunt is professional and highly regulated... It has the potential to serve as a model to improve humane practices and reduce animal suffering within other hunts."
---The Independent Veterinarian Working Group



And one not really in support per se, but a good point:

“The harp seal question is entirely emotional. We have to be logical. We have to aim our activity first to the endangered species... We have to be logical."
--- Jaques Cousteau



“We do not support the killing of any animals, but we do consider the slaughter of the seals in Newfoundland to be humane.”
---Trevor Scott, Executive Director of the International Society for the Protection of Animals



“As far as we are concerned the present regulations ensure that the best possible methods of humane killing are adhered to. Humane killing is not an issue.”
--- The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies


“I have examined the craniums of thousands of seal pups and I have never observed one that did not have massive hemorrhage in the brain, which is an indication that the animal was rendered unconscious and therefore incapable of feeling any pain...
Death was rapid and humane. The choice of killing method must favour the seal and not the observer."
---Dr. H.C. Roswell, DVM – Dept. of Pathology – University of Ottawa and founder of the Canadian Council on Animal Care



“The Gulf of St. Lawrence seal hunt as it is now conducted and as far as the young seals are concerned, is without a doubt one of the most humane slaughtering operations I have ever witnessed.
The greatest immorality in the seal hunting controversy has been the reckless, deliberate campaign of racial discrimination and hatred which has been deliberately fostered against the people of Newfoundland and of Canada by groups and individuals whose primary aim is to raise funds, particularly in the United States and Europe.”
---Tom Hughes, Executive Vice-President of the Ontario Humane Societies and former British Columbia SPCA executive.


“From a total of 509 animals examined at the time, there was reported to be only one other case of the animal not being rendered unconscious. This appears to be a fantastically high average of humane killing”.
---Dr. Keith Ronald – Dean of the College of biological science – university of Guelph


/// sorry, lotsa editing for typos and such.