[Closed] Shetland man jailed for clubbing seal pups

They wouldn't sleep with him. 😉

Good, and I hope he gets his just rewards in prison.

I really hope that what he did doesn't reflect the 'ways' of anyone's country.

I think he means ways of the "countryside", i.e. casual attitude to killing of animals.
This seems to be less of a "countryside" attitude to controlling population, more an act of extreme cruelty. Judging by the BBC report's phrasing anyway.

Why? That is horriable!

I suspect that he thought they were a threat to his livelihood [fishing]

The "why" is easily answered. Culling seals is legal.

I think it's the "how" that is controversial.

Wasn't the time of the season that makes seals protected?

The Conservation of Seals Act 1970 protects seals during the breeding/moulting periods ('close' season) when they are at their most vulnerable. The grey seal close season runs from the September 1 to December 31 each year. The common seal close season runs from June 1 to August 31 each year.

Under the EC Habitats Directive both common and grey seals are identified as protected species for which Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) must be designated, and for which the UK has special responsibility. Within SACs, steps must be taken to avoid both deterioration of habitats and significant disturbance of species, in order to maintain the 'favourable conservation status' of grey and common seals. Presently, there are 6 candidate SACs for grey seals (representing 47% of pup production) and 8 candidate SACs for common seals (18% of the Scottish population). A further common seal SAC at Sound of Barra is under consideration.

In response to local reductions in common seal numbers, seal conservation Orders were introduced in 2004 and 2007 to offer additional protection to sensitive and potentially vulnerable common seal populations in specific areas. The Orders effectively extend the 'close season' restrictions on shooting seals to the whole year.

But regardless of protection status, cruelty to animals is not tolerated. Clubbing and mutillating animals is not considered a humane method of killing them.

I guess we mainland dwellers have no idea about what it's like to eek out a living on a remote Scottish Island. Personally I don't know why they bother. It must be rather boring living there.

Inhumanely dispatching young seal to protect your livelyhood must be such a rewarding experience (not). Like fox hunting, a passtime that should have died out with all the modern means of recreation and earning a living these days!

Is clubbing necessarily cruel - by which I mean can a well aimed whack not dispatch the seal quickly?

I very much doubt the guy is a sadist, just doing the necessary to protect his livelihood.

What is cruel is the way our meat animals get killed. They have a pretty good idea that something bad is about to happen to them, and they aren't sung to sleep first either.

Clubbing and mutillating animals is not considered a humane method of killing them.

The mutilating wasn't clear from the Beeb. I'm against cruelty to animals but I'm not convinced a well placed head blow is cruelty.

Have you ever swatted a flay, ant, insect, rat .......

Possibly cynical but would the outcry be the same if they weren't 'cuddly' animals ...

talking of rats - spongebob. Known experiment
X space, not many rats - happy social rats
X space, lots and lots of rats - unhappy unsocial rats
? can you see any similarities with people

I'm no weirdy beardy hippy but the "culling" of animals is a real chin scratcher.

No creature on earth does more damage to the environment than man, not to mention the damage we do to each other. If you proposed a cull of humans to limit the spread of a disease, or to end the damage and destruction certain groups were causing, you'd be proclaimed a Nazi and lynched in the town square.

Yet it's acceptable to slaughter animals because they eat a few fish?