The Irish standard., 1892-01-23
SKINNING SEALS.
The Cruel Manner in Which the
Operation Is Performed.
Description of a Scene Which Is Drp'f
Gated Many Times in q Year-Some-
thing for Kind-Hearted Young
Ladies to Ponder Over.

Several years ago there was d cry
raised all over the land against the
cruelty of skinning birds alive to make
Feather ornaments for hats.
It is not generally known that atroc-
tiles fully as cruel are committed by
the fur seal hunters who provide the
peltrles from which seal-skin cloa1s
are made to envelop the fair forms and
the tender hearts of American wives
and daughters.
e. H. Wells thus describes an Incl
dent which he witnessed last spring
while crossing the North Pacific from
Kadiak island to Sitka, Alaska, in a
scaling schooner.
"lVe were drifting slowly eastward
one warm April evening: the light
breaths of air which famed the sails
causing scarcely ripple on the surface
of the ocean. Fur seals were living
asleep on every side of US, their mo-
tionless, dark bodies half cut of water,
appearing like pieces of drift wood. 1t
was the time of the annual seal migra-
tion to the Prybiloff islands, the ami
mails coming northward from Tie vast
expanse of southern waters.
'The captain and his alert crew were
provided with heavy rifles and shot
guns for killing seals. and it was not
long before had an opportunity to wit
ness the operation of taking seals in the
Pacifc-a method totally different from
that employed on the shores OF the
PrybilCffs. in Bahring sea.
''Standing with al A}eut native in the
bow of our little vessel. spotted a seal
asleep several hundred yards ahead! 1t
seemed probable that we would run
over the creature if nothing occurred
to disturb it's slumber.
II hastened back to the cabin, and
picking up a heavy four-bore shotgun
loaded with buclzshot returned to the
bow intent on getting that seal. Then
noticing the Aleut hunter still standing
there, I concluded that he could doubt
less do better shooting than could on
the deceptive ocean, and turned the
weapon over to him with the advice to
shoot that seal
GAS he slowly poised the ponderous
weapon containing unknown quantities
of volcanic energy | stepped briskly be-
hind to be out Of range Of possibilities.
My experience with pot-netal Indian
gums had been sufficient to make me
skeptical as to their cohesiveness.
'The Aleut pulled the trigger and a
mighty boom rolled out over the sea,
while the shot went whistling over it's
surface, and with a dull 'plunl1' entered
the body Of the sleeping seal.
''Yhere was wild thrashing of the
waters
We've hit a SEAL exclaimed some
body, and there was rush for the life
boat towing astern of the schooner.
The seal must be reached quickly be-
fore it sank. Several men Jumped into
the boat, seized the oars and padded
desperately away for the seal, which
still lay Goundering on the water, not
hundred yards from the vessels bow,
'''They reached it in tirae and an
: Aleut, by dexterous manipulation born
{ Of long experience, Aooped the slippery
animal into the boat.
e: ''A few MON ents later we all gath
La red round the gasping creature as it
hly upon the deck, while one of the
nil ,nters, an experienced hand at skin
an,1g seals, barred his long, sharp knife
"a prepared to remove the pelt.
per, He made several cuts about the Flip
bre S, when | interfered. The seal was
'all>athing hoarsely, its chest rising and
t.ixcng spasmodically. Kill that beast,
eHqaimed, before you skin it!
8 90 obeyed, or attempted to, by cut
.tinsat long cash across the creatures
thro lf.
t'B ,od flowed forth in torrents and
covered the deck. The struggling
ceased and thought that death had en-
sued The hunter proceeded with his
skinning operations and the pelt was
about one-third removed when l was
Mortified by another loud gasp from the
seal aud u renewal Of the heavings Of
the chest. Evidently it was not dead
and was undergoing torture!
Kill it!' cried, and the man with
one long, slasling cut ripped the AMI.
NAL open and partially disem bowled it,
Then, with dexterous movements OF
the knife, he rapidly continued to re.
move the pelt and had almost separated
Az from tIle DOCy WHeu announcer noise
came from the seal. Its mouth opened
and it breatled hoarsely once more.
81 could scarcely believe my eyes!
There lay creature alive, yet skinned,
disem mboweled and it's blood lying in
pools on the deck.
Cut its heart out' CALCULATED, un-
able longer tc bear the sight of the ap.
parent suffering.
''The hunter reached his hand inside
OF the carcass and plucl1ed forth the
heart. 1t was warm and throbbed
regularly. Cut loose from the body and
held out in the hand it continued to
pulsate, the valves opening and closing
for fully three minutes with unfailing
regularity. 1t was grewsome sight.
But the seal was now dead. He no
longer breathed nor moved A feeling
of relief swept over me.
Do they usually die that hard?' l
demanded
"'Oh, yes, replied the hunter, coolly.
'Ihey always act that way when we
skin Them