International Day for the Protection of Sealings is observed on March 15th in many countries around the world. It was established at the initiative of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW),2 photos

Arctic seals inhabit the North Atlantic, White Sea, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, and Greenland Sea. The female seal carries her pup for eleven months, and in spring, both adult males and females move onto the ice from the sea to give birth to their offspring—the adorable and defenseless sealings. For about two weeks after birth, while the mother feeds them with milk, the sealings’ fur remains pure white. It is precisely this fur that leads to the killing of tens of thousands of sealings each year, often in extremely brutal ways: they are beaten to death with iron clubs. In terms of brutality, barbarity, and the number of killings, this hunt is unmatched.

One of the first organizations to speak out against the hunting of sealings was the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which drew widespread public attention to the issue. More and more people joined the cause, unable to remain indifferent to such a cruel and senseless practice. Every March, thousands of demonstrations and protests took place around the world. Thanks to these efforts, governments in many countries were forced to take economic measures that made seal hunting unprofitable. Since 1986, the import and sale of sealing fur have been completely banned in the United States, Mexico, and European countries. Today, in the European Union, wearing clothing made from sealing fur in public is even considered impolite.

Despite all these efforts, it was not until 2009 that the Russian government, through the pressure of civil society and international environmental organizations, introduced a ban on seal hunting. This success was also due to the participation of famous Russians—artists, musicians, directors, academics, journalists, athletes, and more—in the protests.

However, seal hunting continues in Canada, Namibia, and Norway. But the world community continues to fight against it. In August 2010, the EU banned the trade in all products made from seals, making it illegal to sell any product derived from commercial seal hunts. IFAW hopes that this will lead to the end of seal hunting in these countries as well.

On March 15th, International Day for the Protection of Sealings, various activities, demonstrations, and protests take place around the world against the killing of these animals. In Russia, civil society and numerous environmental organizations organize events nationwide to raise awareness about the issue—childhood art exhibitions, photo shows, demonstrations, flashmobs, and more. It is important to note that in Russia, hunting four other types of seals is still allowed: the Caspian seal, the Baikal seal, the ringed seal, and the sea otter...