Two members of an international animal welfare group yesterday staged a protest in front of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, calling for a halt to the annual seal hunt in Canada and urging the public to stop buying seal products to help end the slaughter.
Ashley Fruno and Michelle Chen of the Asia branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) decided to bare almost everything under drizzly skies and chilly temperatures for the furry mammals, wearing nothing but undergarments with the Canadian flag painted on their bodies.
They were demonstrating against Canada’s raising of the quota for culling gray seals from 50,000 to 60,000 last month.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Throughout the day, the duo directed slogans, such as “stop the bloody seal slaughter” and “don’t buy seal products,” at the trade office building.
Asked if she was cold, Fruno replied: “This is nothing compared to what the animals go through. Many baby seals have their heads bashed in and are skinned alive.”
Fruno said that over the years, PETA has called on Canada to ban the annual commercial seal hunt in eastern Canada, but the government has refused to comply with that request.
Instead, quotas have been increased. Ottawa raised the quota for harp seals between 2009 and 2010 by 50,000 animals. Last year, it allowed seal hunters to cull 330,000 harp seals, 50,000 gray seals and 8,200 hooded seals.
This year, Canada has so far raised the quota for gray seals, but has not yet released its limits on the other two species.
Fruno said that because the EU and US have banned imports of seal products, PETA is now focusing on urging Asian governments to ban the sale of seal products and appealing to local people to boycott seal meat and skins from Canada.
“It will only take the demand of the people to make changes,” Chen said.
As for why the two decided to dress only in undergarments: “We think this is a fun and sexy way to draw attention for seals,” Fruno said.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
RSS