The Canadian government has sanctioned the slaughter of 468,200 baby harp, grey and hooded seals, which is an increase of 80,000 on 2010. This year's slaughter has started and already ARAN is kicking into gear with a month of action to highlight the slaughter that is taking place right now on the ice flows of Canada. Click here to see the action.

To kick it off, a team of five members from ARAN one wearing little more than red body paint lay beside the Canadian flag whilst covered in 'blood' for a press photo call on Dublin's Henry Street. During the exciting action that got everyone's attention an ARAN member screened footage to many passersby of previous hunts in Canada - this footage is so powerful that is has been known to change people's lives almost instantly. Dozens of leaflets were distributed and another campaigner held a sign reading 'Stop the Canadian Seal Slaughter'. Newstalk radio were covering the event prior to noon action. Other radio stations such as Galway Bay FM, Galway News, Foinse, Broadsheet.ie, Newswhip.ie, Irish Mirror, Joe.ie and many more have started covering other planned events this weekend.

This is not the first time ARAN has taken action for Canada's baby seals, as a matter of fact it's without doubt, fair to say, that we've been running the Irish campaign to stop the senseless slaughter since our very founding. In 2009 we successfully pressured the Irish government to support EU legislation to ban the seal product trade from Canada. Our annual demonstrations and our celebrity involvement continue to ensure that Ireland's opposition to this massacre is recognized internationally. We have also helped secure more than a dozen top hotels and restaurants in the Dublin area to join the Irish 'seafood' boycott, which being realistic, may be the seal's only hope. It was actually a 'seafood' boycott in the 80's that stopped the slaughter until the 90's. We have also in June 2011 lobbied Irish MEP's to fight the Canadian government's WTO challenge with the EU.

Please take action with ARAN to help stop Canada's seal slaughter. Get involved in our exciting events, peaceful protests and help bring about an end to the world's largest massacre.