Rebecca Aldworth, director of Animal Programs for Humane Society International, released the following statement in response to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans restricting journalists and animal welfare experts access to the commercial slaughter of baby seals.

"Yesterday we filmed sealers consistently violating the few regulations that exist to protect seals. It is no coincidence that today the Canadian government is doing everything in its power to stop us from documenting the slaughter. The DFO will only allow one of our helicopters to go into the hunt area, preventing more than a dozen journalists from witnessing the killing today. If the Canadian government's claims that this is a humane slaughter are true, then why are they working so hard to hide it?

Not one sealer I saw yesterday was obeying the new conditions of their hunting licenses – to stun the seals, check for unconsciousness, and then bleed the animals. Given that the sealers are flagrantly ignoring the rules in front of us, imagine what happens when our cameras aren't there.

So far, the Canadian government has systematically blocked observation of the 2008 seal hunt. But we will not give up—while this slaughter continues we will be here to bear witness."

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Humane Society International is the international arm of The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at www.hsihsus.org.