I'm going to do these all at once

Reader-submitted question: Is it really illegal to kill baby seals in Canada?

Yes. It's illegal to sell, trade or barter the pelts of baby seals. PETA is lying to you. Nobody is killing those beautiful white baby seals you saw in that video.

Reader-submitted question: Do Canadian sealers skin seals alive?

No. They can't skin live seals. And they can't leave the animals to choke in their own blood, either. They have to make sure the seals are dead right away. If it turns out that one is still alive, they have to make sure it dies. They can either check to make sure the skull is crushed or do a blink test: that means that they touch the eyeball. If the seal blinks, it needs another whack on the head.

Reader-submitted question: Do seals get whacked on the head right there on the ice where the babies are?

It depends. Seals can't be hunted in the whelping patch, even if only adults are killed. But after a certain amount of time goes by and the young seals lose their white pelts, they can be killed on the ice. They are not all whacked on the head, although that gets all of the attention because it seems a lot more brutal than shooting. Seals can be killed with a club, a gun or a hakapik -- a club with a spike on the end.

Reader-submitted complaint: That's horrible.

You're right. It's not very nice to think about the way any animal is killed, especially during large-scale commercial slaughters.