June 27, 2008
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Seal Clubbing Part 3
I was just reading an article about an Inuit leader in Canada saying everyone should wear sealskin to celebrate Canada’s birthday on July 1.
This is in response to all of the criticism of the practice of seal clubbing. Here is the link: Link
I never felt guilty killing bugs. We have a lot of frogs at night in our area and I wouldn’t feel comfortable just stepping on one on purpose. I used to go fishing and so that killed animals.
What is the largest animal you would feel comfortable killing?
Comments (125)
ughhhh that’s tragic.
Bigfoot.
Ack. Oh, Dan.
How big was the crystalline entity?
You know, I honestly don’t even kill bugs. I… get ‘em on a piece of paper and carry them outside.
Bear? Moose?
Manbearpig
a dinosaur or anaconda
Seal noooo!
Well if I needed it for food… It wouldn’t matter what size it was…
But in general I don’t like killing anything but spiders.
only the ones who would try to eat me
It depends. I loathe bugs, especially bugs inside the house, with a passion. Squished on sight. But bigger than bugs…nah.
Oh and only if they are in the house, if their outside I say live and let live.
Depends. If I had to shoot something that was attacking me, I’d kill anything I had to.
But casual killing? Probably just an insect.
an ostrich
cuz they’re ugly as hell
I once accidentally killed a frog when I rolled a paddle boat over it. It wasn’t intentional. Honest. Other than that, the largest animal I’d kill would be a fly.
Its no different than hamburger…
Its just a cuter animal so everyone goes”OH NO” and”AWWWW”
Sheez Ive gotten mean..
I’ve killed a bear but I’d probably not have qualms about something bigger.
my roomate.
Probably a flea, but only if I didn’t realize I was killing it in the first place.
I’m not comfortable killing any animals that are big enough for me to see them with my own eyes. If I see a bug in my house, I usually carry it and release it outside. I actually feel a bit guilty playing soccer or frisbee outside because I know that I’m probably stepping on a lot of ants. It’s really stupid, but that’s just the way I am.
A spider. And even though I HATE spiders, I usually don’t like killing them.
All those pictures make me sad!! Poor seals. I don’t beleive in killing animals for their hides. Seal clubbing is inhumane.
Drakonskyr
Personally, I sure wish you wouldn’t do this. I think it is gross to show that. Yeah, yeah, your site and all, and I don’t have to come here, but it is gross.
Kathi
either cow or buffalo.
@VaultESL - Agreed.
rats….
always seem to get those big nasty ones around here with the rabies.
Bugs. I’ve had to kill several mice in the past when traps only wounded them. Call me a sissy but I didn’t like doing it, even though it was the humane and appropriate thing to do. I genuinely felt bad for the little critters.
Killing is totally uncomfortable to me. I try to avoid it… but I do kill spiders, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and other insects of nuisance. If I had to kill to survive, I might be able to kill a rabbit or bird or fish. But, I just don’t think I could handle killing something like a deer or cow.
something that was killed just for sheer fun or profit.
scuzzlebutt
Nothing bigger than a bug, unless it was in self-defense.
None. i don’t even kill ants. I pick them up and throw them outside the window.
Someone should beat the humans to a bloody pulp with clubs
well, if work related I have to be comfortable killing just about anything that comes through the door…. and that there is a reason to euthanize (I won´t do frivolous euthanasias). I wont kill for sport, but will kill bugs as needed…
@another_rebel_without_a_cause - Scuzzlebutt?
Human.
it’s not even so much as how large the animal is. there’s just some creatures i feel a compassion for.
and personally? bugs. unless i was threatend
=__=.
When I am walking, I try my best, usually, not to step on ants.
….and no, I am not a vegetarian.
a whale shark
but i won’t, so its all good
MAN!
I mean……uh…..a seal.
i think we should go around clubbing seal-clubbers. Maybe that’ll get the message across
@Kestryl - I once captured a scorpian crawling on my leg and took it outside. I will do the same things with spiders that get trapped in the bathtub. I will capture wasps and take them out too. However, I do kill roaches with out mercy. Given the opportunity I would kill Osama bin Laden.
I don’t feel comfortable with anything dieing whether it be me killing it or it just dieing by other means. When my fish, Bobby, died I almost cried . . . I didn’t even ‘kill’ him (he committed suicide when I was changing his water, just jumped and went down the sink =[), he’s about an inch and a half so I guess anything that size and larger I wouldn’t feel comfortable killing. Actually, I squeal like a baby every time I need to kill a bug so I honestly can’t imagine killing an animal.
Yeah, that’s really sad. Surely there’s a more humane way, if they have to do it at all.
If it’s a spider or bird or bat or something in the house, I try to catch it and let it out. But if it’s something invading my space, like the big black ants I Raided today, they’re toast.
Once I killed a deer with my car. Unintentionally. I didn’t feel too badly for the deer – he ran into my new, 3 week old car and caused $8000 damage to it. I didn’t grieve for the deer. I called someone who hunted and ate venison and told them what on stretch of road they could find the freshly “hunted” deer.
My golden retriever, she has no mercy. She hunts in the backyard. For food. Birds. Baby bunnies. Squirrels. Just hoping she doesn’t get a raccoon or a possum…yuck.
depends on how fast it was coming at me….
Any ugly nasty bug. Especially when they are in room. I get someone else to kill it for me or bring it outside. Don’t like the sound of crushing it’s shell.
Bugs, and that’s about it. The first couple mice we had in the house last winter I made my mom catch and my dad took them to work and released them (where they were probably promptly eaten by a hawk or a snake). Then my mom said “I don’t care what you think, I’m putting out the d-con”…So yeah, bugs are pretty much the biggest things I could kill.
A bear.
Well, I’d like to say I think seal clubbing is despicable and disgusting and sick and cruel and wrong and deplorable and debased and all those other words that describe the state of being repugnant. I think someone would have to be a sick puppy to go out there and gladly batter the brains out of an infant creature.
That being said, I once blew the brains out of a deer which stepped into the path of my vehicle. He was laying there twitching and dying, and I had a shotgun, and I felt like it was the right thing to do. I would want someone to do it for me if I were in that much pain.
Killing should only be out of necessity; ie food, self preservation, or a greater good.
o_o;
I don’t think I could kill an animal >_>
I admit I’m one of the types who doesn’t even want to kill bugs…
I’m not sure I could kill an actual animal.
@moritheil - Hahahaha.
Oh, TNG.
Probably the Being of Inconceivable Horror.
I think we’re squeamish of pictures like the ones above because seals are cute. So are many other types of animals. We tend to personify things and think of them as more human or relatable than they really are.
It would depend on the need or reason as to the biggest animal I’d kill but, ultimately, any kind and size of animal is game to me.
A garden-sized snake or a tarantula. Or anything big that looked freakish and threatening.
Tough call. I swat mosquitos without compunction. That’s about the biggest beast I’ve felled on purpose. If the need arose, I think I’d be willing to go further, but I’d still feel bad. Anyway, it’s much simpler to buy my meat pre-killed.
@Dewdropsonthegrass - If it makes you feel any better, you probably don’t kill the ants you might step over during a game outside, unless you’re sliding on the ground and digging into the dirt with your shoes.. The great thing about grass and dirt is that they provide lots of little crevices for small creatures like ants to avoid being killed by large creatures like you.
Clubbing seals is so much fun.
This is a very common topic of conversation here. When I moved to Alaska I brought my ideals with me. There are alot of people here do not share the same ideals. I thought then and I think now, too bad. I am not changing to please anyone. That photograph is one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen. The native population fiercely defends their right to hunt and wear fur. They have been doing it for eons. or an eon, I don’t know… I can only do my best to keep from vomiting when I see things like that. We are referred to with a sneer as tree huggers and greeeeen people. Labels. *shrug* The stench in the harvest camps is overwhelming. The visual never goes away. If it could be bottled and put in a spray it would create a revolution in the diet industry. The guy in the photograph has what resembles a look of glee on his face. Maybe it’s a grimmace. A grimmace would be appropriate. I cook and eat free range chicken. I buy them when they are already dead. I could be called a hypocrite for that I guess, but as I am typing this, I am feeling a little queasy about it. ugh, more than a little.
Bless the beasts and the children, for in this world they have no voice, they have no choice.
as long as they aren’t cute…
I’d be fine with killing a monotheistic god.
@fullmetalbunny - That’s cute.
fish
@VaultESL - agreed, except for the “bigger than” part
@GhostBenjimon - hahahaha
Deer or elk.
Those seal clubbing pictures are actually quite sad. The hunt is extremely one sided, not sportsman-like at all.
maybe a stupid hoe bitch. But other than that…possilby a snake…not sure though.
I’m terrified of alligators. But probally shit my pants before killing it.
I don’t mind it if I’m eating them for sustenance and not hunting them out of sport just for the hell of it. In some cases, if an animal is in such pain and nothing can be done, then I will want to put it out of it’s misery.
Killing something just to kill it really doesn’t sit well with me… Bugs aren’t really animals…but I don’t kill them for fun either. I kill them when they bite me or get into my food.
Germs
i would NEVER even squash an ant. so let’s not get to the largest animal shall we….
I’ll kill anything that threatens my existence. =3 Size will not matter
a rat, possum, or nasty mice.
I can only handle bugs. Anything non-bug will freak and weird me out ><
@GhostBenjimon - That is by far the funniest comment I’ve ever seen. I am laughing harder now than I have in a long time. Serious props!
Small insects. I don’t feel comfortable killing bigger insects but I feel better afterwards.
That second picture is beyond disgusting to me. I have wanted to save the seals since I was a little girl. They are helpless animals that cry terrible when they are clubbed. I want to take that bat and beat that guy with it. It just makes me ill….
I would not kill any animal, but if I had to choose it will be a mosquito.
How big do they make animals these days?
I hit a bird with my car one time, and it really mortified me. It also made my kid cry (aaaarrrg!) Killing anything makes me ill. I dont think I could kill anything other than spiders and flies…
The Inuits have been doing this for meat, skin, and oil for centuries.
It’s when people who are not Inuits move in and do it for outside commerce and also to accommodate those who have a taste for Arctic Safaris.
That’s when the Seal population begans to dwindle.
And by the way, what method would you suggest the Inuits use? Or should we just build a Super Wal-Mart?
I have a friend who takes several trips to their remote regions a year as a missionary; Inuit tradition is a sacred thing to them and change comes hard.
Now if it were Brittany Spears clubbing a seal, well…
And how big? It depends. Only if it’s a direct threat to me and I have something large enough to kill it; then, “Come to Momma, you creep!”
Personally, I’m only comfortable killing bugs. As for someone else killing an animal to provide me with food/clothing. I’m comfortable with cows, we use all of it, as far as I know. So I’m comfortable eating beef and wearing leather. Also at least for the most part the raising and killing is regulated to be as humane as possible.
As for seal clubbing, the act just seems barbaric, and cruel. I don’t care if they do end up using all of the body (not sure if they do or not). I can’t agree with their methods.
wow. someone needs to club that man.
As much as possible, I try not to kill even bugs. I found a mouse in my basement utility sink and I am really kind of afraid of mice (I know, so ridiculous), but I covered it with a plastic container, slid a piece of cardboard underneath and released it outside, shuddering the whole while. I don’t know what I’d do if it had been running around though. Probably jumped on top of furniture and screamed.
I wanna become a hunter, so I’m not sure…never killed anything but bugs, never an animal.
If it means cheaper gas…I’d shoot ANY animal in the head!!!
Whatever I had to do in order to survive and that includes seals, who are not killed for “sport” but for the economic survival of a people.
OMG!!! ..no!!! ..poooor seals!!!
I dont really like killing animals… only if i need to like for food… but for fun… i think its horrible!
I don’t feel comfortable killing anything besides bugs. When I used to go fishing, I would let the fish go.
A spider.
On second though…I’m pescatarian, so I’m going to say…an octopus?
What does size have to do with guilt?
baturds, the l.ot of em C R U E L
A whale..because they’re too big! and scary!
;~;..
hm, well..actually, how do you kill a whale?
I suppose this calls for heavy duty explosives!
A cat or a dog of any size.
I actually remember feeling genuinely (although only slightly) upset after killing a bug a few times.
I’m a crazy creep, though.
Bugs.
I’m a vegetarian.jdskfja;kghdlkfjAlthough, I wouldn’t mind killing a few humans.
an supersaurus!
@vi0linista89 - I agree.
Realistically speaking, probably just bugs and spiders.
That’s a pretty sick way to kill an animal, I think I’m going to puke. The only living thing I’m comfortable with killing is a mosquito, and I don’t eat animals either.
Tarantula!
roaches
those pictures are sad.. I can kill insects and feel guilty about sooo..
Uhm, none?
Why would I want to kill a large animal? It makes me think of George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant essay.
A whale.
I believe that it’s morally acceptable to kill any wild animal only if you
are able to subdue it in unarmed combat and consume its corpse in entirety.
I don’t equate killing something for food and brutally clubbing a seal. I do kill obnoxious insects, but in general I don’t even ‘just’ kill them.
I guess it depends. I would kill something very large if I had to for food. I would kill a dog if it was threatening my life or limb.
@Mcon - Can you have help from people you care for to eat the corpse?
“Canada’s assurances this year that it would impose new rules to ensure
the animals are killed more humanely has done little to dampen the
protests.”
It would dampen mine only if they actually ate the seal. They don’t need the fur for clothes.
i don’t intentionally kill any animals except that I contribute to the slaughter of livestock because I eat meat…
if it’s not for food, self-protection or NEEDED for clothes i don’t think it behooving as our place as stewards over creation to kill animals
bug..
@Kestryl - We do the same with spiders. I figure spiders are good because they eat the pesky bugs. But the little beetles that are ubiquitous around here, if they are in our house, they are history. We also set mouse and rat traps when needed, because they can carry disease and they go to the bathroom on everything.
Those guys need to be smacked repeatedly with shovels then set on fire. Later we’ll roast pumpkin-seeds on their smoldering evil carcasses and after that we can throw them into a giant Venus flytrap. Hope it likes well-done.
The only organism I would ever intentionally kill on this planet is the mosquito. I hate them. All they’re good for is food for other animals and plants… and there are so damn many of them!
Otherwise I’ll put any bug in a cup or a piece of paper and find a place outside to put it, unless it’s a spider building a web, and in that case, why interrupt the natural artwork? It wants food. Let it catch the mosquitoes!
Spiders. I don’t care if they eat annoying bugs. They creep me out.
@OfElection -
Absolutely.
killing it myself? ….hm…probably them texas cockroachs….they’re HUGE!
A tyrannosaurus! Providing I’m allowed a 75mm howitzer to hunt him with.
ugh. I just dont see why they cant find a more humane way to kill the poor seals if they need rid of them…
Seriously,
And, I personally, dont want to kill anything. However, I have no problem enjoying my Big mac that someone killed for me
I went fishing once and killed it and felt so bad. If I ever go again I’ll catch and let go. I kill bugs…sometimes..if I’m pissed and their all in my face..then I’m killing it. But nothing bigger than that. Someone has to be really inhuman and heartless to kill those cute seals. I wish I could rescue them all and hide them in my bath tub
With my bare hands only bugs. I don’t do mammals like that.
But if I had a gun probably deer. Because venison is yummy.
I’ve had to bury lots of mammals that my dog killed though. Like moles, rabbits, chipmunks, snakes (ok those aren’t mammals), baby and huge groundhogs, and an opossum.
I don’t even feel comfortable killing a little spider….but that’s becasue I’m afraid of them. In general, I’d rather not kill ANYTHING!!
Bugs are about it, and sometimes I have to get my dad to kill those too.
fucking squirrels….they ate through my back porch screen
Killing myself? I’m a coward, so I feel awkward killing something myself. I’m always afraid of messing up and getting hurt. But as for paying/watching to be killed? Eh, size doesn’t matter. I have a few animals I like (bottle nosed dolphins) which I wouldn’t want to have killed, but animals are animals.
Before I answer the question; I need to ask one my of my own…
Exactly how many Canadians do you think, will want to wear a sealskin on that day, and how many seals do you think will die because of that?
Now as for my answer to Dan’s question;
— none, because i’m too squeamish, and even if it were for self-defence, I’m so weak I’d probably be killed first,
o my god. that’s sad