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By: JMertlich,
3/18/2009
Food that feeds the body and soul is my number one passion, but showing humanity to all creatures is something that I hold just as dear. That's why I've teamed up with The Humane Society of the United States to help end the cruel Canadian commercial seal hunt.
I'm heartbroken: In the last four years, more than one million seal pups have been killed -- clubbed, shot, and even skinned alive on Canada's ice floes -- in the largest marine mammal slaughter on Earth. And it's all in the name of fur fashion.
Like you, I'm committed to ending this senseless slaughter by sending a message to the fishermen who kill the seals for a little extra cash and the seafood industry that supports the hunt. That's why I have pledged to stop cooking with Canadian seafood until the hunt is ended.
Here's what you can do right now to help us achieve this year's goal: Take the challenge with me -- tell all your friends and family and help us reach one million signatures. We're not far off -- your signature is one of more than 630,000, and if everyone who receives this letter tells 5 friends, we'll reach one million signatures.
If you're one of the top signature gatherers, not only will you send the Canadian fishing industry a powerful message, but you'll also will win some fabulous prizes:*
Grand Prize: A trip to New York City to meet with me -- plus you'll get a harp seal pup photograph taken by famed photographer Nigel Barker
10 Runners Up: A ProtectSeals shirt and Nigel Barker poster
Thanks to you, we're closer than ever before to ending the hunt -- more than 5,000 grocery stores and restaurants have signed the pledge, and soon the European Union will vote on whether to ban its trade in seal products. That would mean a primary market for seal skins would be shut down, saving millions of seals worldwide from a horrible fate.
I know you'll keep the pressure on Canada's fishing industry as long as it takes to stop the slaughter. The more signatures, the bigger the message -- and the greater your odds of winning. Pass the pledge on now, and we can end Canada's commercial seal hunt.
As a public figure, I know that my involvement can have a big impact. Still, I'm just one person -- but if I have one million of you with me, we can end the slaughter once and for all.
Sincerely,
Cat Cora
Iron Chef, executive chef for Bon Appétit magazine,
and founder of Chefs for Humanity