Couple disturbed by discovery of discarded seal ippers
Arlene and James Pelley usually enjoy their regular walks along Gri n Drive, but one jaunt last week was enough to turn their stomachs.
e Cornerbrook, N.L., couple typically parks their car near the intersection with the Lewin Parkway and walk all the way down to the concrete slipway located just past Water Street before looping back to their vehicle.
Last Thursday, when they walked toward the beach and the slipway, they came across an unsightly mess. Strewn all over the boat launch and the surrounding beach rocks were dozens of seal ippers.
The Pelleys estimated there were enough sets of ippers to represent about three dozen animals. Many of them were small, suggesting the seals they belonged were relatively young ones.
“My brother used to hunt seals all the time and I’ve seen some really big ippers,” said James. “These looked to me like they were not pups, but probably just yearlings. Every one of them was grey.”
e precisely straight cuts on the esh and bones also indicated they were likely cut o by some sharp-edged blade. Bottom line for the Pelleys was these seals did not meet a natural death.
While the area smelled really bad, the Pelleys said the ippers looked fairly fresh and seemed to still be in the early stages of decomposition.
There was evidence the area had not just been used for dumping seal ippers. Nearby were the rib cage and spine of a larger animal, possibly a young moose or caribou. e Pelleys said they had seen a pile of moose fur and esh discarded there last year.
They don’t know if the seals were killed legally or not, but the Pelleys were pretty sure there must be regulations against dumping this sort of animal waste in an area where the public accesses the Humber Arm to launch watercraft.