Former Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills McCartney made a trip to the ice floes… Former Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills McCartney made a trip to the ice floes off the Gulf of St. Lawrence to protest the treatment of baby seals. Apparently, it is the annual tradition in the seafaring area to slaughter baby seals.

Every year the fluffy, white baby seals are separated from their mothers on the frigid ice before being clubbed to death to satisfy the needs of fashion savvy consumers – which includes me, sadly.

Believe it or not, the Canadian government endorses the annual slaughter; from the looks of things it will continue each year.

About 325,000 seal pups were killed during the hunt last year, bringing the local fishermen $14.5 million in supplemental income, which they say their families badly need during the winter off-season.

With an income like this, it may take more than the McCartneys’ name to put an end to it.

In an effort to bring awareness to this controversial tradition, the McCartneys posed for a picture cuddling a seal pup. Two weeks ago, I read that officials even considered bringing charges against the couple. However, they decided against the bad publicity. Apparently it’s not acceptable to hug a seal – it’s more appropriate to beat it.

It’s funny that there’s such a fine line between right and wrong when dealing with a seal. What probably bothers me the most is the method that they choose – clubbing.

I’m not an animal activist or anything. Hey, I even own a leather jacket – a cute short tan jacket. And yes, I know owning a leather jacket is just as bad – but one cause at a time. These little seals need love right now; their lives depend on it. It seems it might just be a bit harsh to club an animal to death. Well, actually, it is harsh.

The market for fur has always been large. Fur trim on the hoods of coats is extremely popular for many down jackets. Ironically, I never noticed that most manufactures use real fur for the trim of hoods until my manager pointed it out on my own coat – all that time I thought it was faux. Especially since I only paid $100 for the coat and not $2,000.

Many people love to wear fur, from pimps to the average Joe. Unfortunately, many never considered rocking faux fur. It seems pointless to kill animals for fur – especially when synthetic versions are impossible to tell apart. Some things aren’t worth killing for and this is one. Even my cute leather jacket could be replaced with a synthetic jacket.

I know there are many synthetic versions worth paying for. We just have to search for them. Plus, they’re often a lot cheaper and fit into the budget of many college students. Even Target had cute faux fur coats that looked just as authentic as real rabbit fur.

I know that fashion is everything in our society, but maybe it’s time we find alternative methods for certain products.

For instance, when my friend Joanna discovered that one of the stores she loved to shop at allegedly made their clothes in sweatshops, she quit shopping there – even though the clothes were inexpensive and cute.

I was actually surprised by her decision. I couldn’t help but wonder why she cared. But once I started to explore her reasoning it made sense. Her justification for not shopping at the store was, “Why should others have to suffer just for my happiness?” This was quite understandable, so I stopped shopping there, too.

This is probably why the McCartneys decided to spread love among the pups and raise awareness. This is why I will try to be more aware of the things I buy from a store, because the fashion choices I make can affect so many lives. Whether it’s an underpaid South African working in a diamond mine or a seal pup trying to swim with its mom, attention and awareness should be brought forth.

The McCartneys drawing attention to this hunt will hopefully get the message across to the world. This is only a baby step toward progress. However, larger steps can be made through better legislation and better individual choices.

E-mail Natasha at [email protected].