看圖說故事／小海豹的慣例 3年97萬5千隻的血腥
(2005/04/04 10:09)
文／陳志東
狐狸對小王子說，很多事情都要依循一個「Rite（慣例）」，例如獵人們都固定會在禮拜四去跟村子裡的女孩跳舞，也因此，禮拜四對我來講就是一個超級迷人的日子，這一天我可以任意散步閒晃，完全沒有壓力，不用擔心。但如果獵人們不依循慣例，沒有把跳舞的日子固定下來，那我就永遠無法放輕鬆，隨時都要繃緊神經。
在「小王子」一書中，狐狸這麼說。對狐狸來講，獵人的「慣例」是讓牠放輕鬆的重要元素。不過，對於真實世界中的加拿大豎琴海豹來講，獵人的慣例不是輕鬆，而是血淋淋的悲痛。
2003年開始，加拿大政府以海豹數量達到歷史新高將近500萬隻，嚴重影響了當地漁業資源與漁民收入，因此在經過嚴密計算後，訂出了一個不會影響海豹生態的「3年97萬5千隻」豎琴海豹捕殺權，讓獵人可以獵殺海豹取皮毛外銷到歐洲與中國來補貼收入。
2003年4月，30幾萬隻剛剛出生不過1個月的小海豹就這樣在冰上被活活打到死，甚至還沒斷氣就已開始被剝皮。2004年4月，又是30幾萬隻小海豹活活被打死，儘管世界各國輿論壓力不斷，卻改變不了這個事實。2005年3月29日開始，這一年一度、連續3年的「慣例」又再度上演，讓美聯社的新聞圖片網站裡一片血淋淋。
台北市立動物園裡的動物花一整天也看不完，但那樣的數量也不過2千多隻。32萬隻是動物園裡所有動物的160倍，3年97萬5千隻是動物園所有動物的480多倍。這麼多的小海豹，會在接下來幾天裡陸續死去，屍體堆積，血流成河。
在動物界裡，海豹是最遵守慣例的物種了。海豹小寶寶永遠固定在每一年的2月底或3月初一起生下來，永遠都讓自己的毛色由黃轉白、由白轉灰、並在剛剛好滿1個月後轉成斑斑點點，剛好長成符合貴婦人需求的毛皮模樣。那成長的時間如此精準、如此依循慣例，也因此讓獵人們可以訂出明確的慣例時間，為小海豹帶來慣例的驚恐與傷痛。
在美聯社的新聞圖片裡，小海豹或許露出無辜大眼、或許正面對著獵人的棍棒、或許被獵人抓著腿在冰上拖行、或許正在被剝皮、或許正單獨一隻縮在滿是血水的冰裡不知發生了什麼事，也或許看著成百上千已經被剝了皮的同伴，望著一片血水與赤裸裸的骨肉，卻不知該如何反應。牠們無法理解是什麼樣的理由造成了這場慣例，牠們也沒機會對下一代傳述這個慣例，牠們甚至來不及成長。
2005年是3年海豹大屠殺的最後一年，3年過後，會不會又有另一種慣例產生，誰也不敢肯定。可以肯定的是，接下來市場上可以發現很多海豹皮毛製品正在流通。在購買之前、在使用的同時，也請記得回想一下，看看底下的照片，瞭解這樣的皮毛由何而來。
小海豹屠殺圖集（圖片來源：美聯社。底下部分照片十分血腥，觀看之前，請先衡量個人的接受程度。）
↓圖：A harp seal looks over a pile of snow on a ice flow in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Prince Edward Island, Canada, Monday March 28, 2005. The annual seal hunt begins Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jonathan Hayward)
↓圖：A harp seal basks in the sun on a ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Prince Edward Island, Canada Monday, March 28, 2005. The annual seal hunt begins Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jonathan Hayward)
↓圖：A harp seal sits on a ice flow in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Prince Edward Island, Canada Monday March 28, 2005 as a group of Newfoundland seal hunters speak with media and photographers in the background. The annual seal hunt begins Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jonathan Hayward)
↓圖：A harp seal sits on a ice flow in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Prince Edward Island, Canada on Monday March 28, 2005 as a sealing boat from Newfoundland waits in the background. The annual seal hunt begins Tuesday. (CP PHOTO/Jonathan Hayward)
↓圖：A seal hunter clubs a harp seal on a ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence Saturday, April 2, 2005. The seal hunt begins about two weeks after the seal pups are born and before their fur changes from white to gray. Animal rights activists say the pups are clubbed to death and often skinned alive, but sealers and government officials insist the pups die instantly, under strict guidelines.(AP Photo/Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)
↓圖：A seal hunter drags his catch back to his boat on a ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence Friday April 1, 2005. This spring marks the last season for a three-year federal plan that allowed sealers to harvest a total of 975,000 seals. The total allowable catch remaining for 2005 is nearly 320,000. (AP PHOTO/CP, Jonathan Hayward)
↓圖：A seal hunter throws his catch into a sled during the annual seal hunt on a ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence Saturday, April 2, 2005. The seal hunt begins about two weeks after the seal pups are born and before their fur changes from white to gray. Animal rights activists say the pups are clubbed to death and often skinned alive, but sealers and government officials insist the pups die instantly, under strict guidelines.(AP Photo/Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)
↓圖：A seal hunter throws his catch into a sled during the annual seal hunt on a ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence Saturday, April 2, 2005. The seal hunt begins about two weeks after the seal pups are born and before their fur changes from white to gray. Animal rights activists say the pups are clubbed to death and often skinned alive, but sealers and government officials insist the pups die instantly, under strict guidelines.(AP Photo/Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)
↓圖：Sealers gather their catch during the first day of the annual harp seal hunt on a ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Prince Edward Island, Canada Tuesday March 29, 2005. (AP Photo/Jonathan Hayward, CP)
↓圖：Sealers gather their catch during the first day of the annual harp seal hunt on a ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Prince Edward Island, Canada Tuesday, March 29, 2005. (AP Photo/Jonathan Hayward, CP)
↓圖：A dead harp seal is left in its hole on a ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Prince Edward Island, Canada on the first day of the annual seal hunt Tuesday, March 29, 2005. (AP Photo/Jonathan Hayward, CP)
↓圖：A harp seal looks at the remains of other seals during the first day of the annual harp seal hunt on a ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Prince Edward Island, Canada Tuesday, March 29, 2005. (AP Photo/Jonathan Hayward, CP)
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