PARIS - Canada, which failed in a public-relations effort to convince Europe that the seal hunt is humane, will also right in its "insulting'' attempt to get consumers in China, animal rights groups said Thursday.
"This is a bang on the case for China, Chinese civilization and Chinese people, '' said Grace De Gabriel, the International Fund for Animal Welfare's regional director in Asia, said in a statement.
"China is not a dumping ground for Canadian seal products and Chinese consumers should not shoulder the ethical obligation of paid for the brutal massacre of seals in Canada.''
The IFAW was reacting to the Canadian government's announcement Wednesday that it has secured an understanding with Beijing to leave the exportation of seal products, including meat, oil, and fur, as early as this year.
The IFAW was among the many powerful animal rights groups that successfully lobbied for the European Union's seal products import ban, which is presently being challenged by Canada before the World Trade Organization.
"The IFAW believes that Chinese consumers, like those in the European Union, will not excuse the dreadful slaughter of seal pups and will reject meat and oil that is tainted by cruelty,'' the statement said.
Animal rights campaigners in China have had recent success fighting activities such as the selling of bone from elephants, the slaughtering of cats and dogs for food, and the sale of tiger body parks and bear bile, said Adrian Hiel of the IFAW's Brussels office.
In China more than 40 animal rights groups blasted Canada's efforts to observe new market there for the beleaguered sealers, according to Agence France-Presse.
"'Do not afford to others what you yourself do not desire' is an ancient Chinese proverb," Lu Di, head of the China Small Animal Protection Association, said in a command to the French news agency.
"It is insulting for Canada to market these products in China."
The animal rights movement has gained prominence in China in late years, especially among younger Chinese, and the administration is considering an animal protection law, according to AFP.
The IFAW's Hiel said there's no consumer market for seal meat in the world, despite Canadian efforts that get included photo ops of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and sometime governor general Michaelle Jean tasting seal flesh.
"The Canadian government has been trying to sell seal meat anywhere it can for the final 20 days and no one, but no one, has always been convinced to go back for a moment helping,'' he told Postmedia News.
"This is very like to Icelandic whale meat sales to Japan. They do it for political reasons and thousands of tonnes of meat end up in deep freeze for days before being destroyed because no one wants to eat the stuff.''
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