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yourdarkdesire -> RE: Please help stop September 15 deadline for death of Harp Seals at Aquarium des Iles, Quebec, Canada (9/14/2012 5:39:13 PM)
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Please note that these seal pups are no longer under a death watch! This is the latest info from Aquarium des Iles: PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!!
12 hours agoAn invitation to contribute to the welfare of Aquarium des Iles sealsMagdalen Islands (Havre-Aubert), 14th of September 2012 – For the last 25 years, the Aquarium des Iles has acquired, under permit from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, two harp seals for the purposes of providing education and outreach activities about the biodiversity of the Gulf of St Lawrence ecosystem to the general public. In the past, these seals were released in the wild during the fall, but this year, for the first time, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) did not allow the aquarium to release the seals at the end of the operating season. This was to avoid the risk of disease transmission to other marine mammals, particularly those species in the Gulf that are vulnerable or endangered. Aware of these risks and of the recent interest in the welfare of the seals, Zak and Mika, expressed by several persons, the Aquarium des Iles is seeking the necessary financial means for the seal’s care until their transfer to another organization that could take good care of them year round.The Aquarium des Iles is a nonprofit organization opened seasonally. Its mission includes public awareness of the biodiversity of the St. Lawrence Gulf, to promote understanding and actions on environmental challenges: pollution, resource management, climate change, etc. Presently, the Aquarium des Iles does not have the financial means to provide optimal living conditions for seals and other species outside its seasonal opening period. Marine species were usually released at sea at the end of the season, including harp seals. However, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the release of the seals in the environment poses a risk of contamination not only to the seal herd, but also to other marine mammals that are endangered (e.g. beluga whale, blue whale, etc.). It is now forbidden to the Aquarium des Iles to release the seals in their natural environment, especially as their release does not ensure their survival at sea.Currently, efforts and discussion are being made to transfer the seals to an appropriate institution that can care for the animals year round. However, this process generates significant costs and time delays, that the Aquarium des Iles cannot face alone.We’re aware that a petition was recently launched on the web seeking to find a solution to this situation. To ensure the welfare of Zak and Mika, the Aquarium des Iles two seals, until they can be transported to a new aquarium, we are urgently seeking financial support from all the people who signed the petition in order to achieve the funding goal of $ 73,000. This amount corresponds to the daily needs for food, employees caring for the seals and their diet, infrastructure utilization costs, essential elements to ensure the animal’s well-being until their transfer. The web site http://aquariumdesiles.ca/ will allow participating to this fundraising, which needs to be completed by September 21th.With a new mission in 2012, the Aquarium of the Islands is committed to the understanding and appreciation of the marine environment of the Magdalen Islands plateau, presenting and highlighting its fauna and flora and the marine resources in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to raise awareness in the general public.Index of /aquariumdesiles.ca
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