The significance of shooting angle in seal shooting

TL;DR

This study found that shooting young harp seals from an oblique front angle leads to the highest immediate death rate, improving animal welfare during hunts.

Contribution

The study identifies the optimal shooting angle for minimizing suffering in young harp seal hunts based on empirical data.

Findings

Shooting obliquely from the front resulted in the highest instantaneous death rate (96.8%).

Shooting directly from the side had the lowest instantaneous death rate (66.7%).

Time to death was shortest for seals shot directly from the front (16 seconds).

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between shooting angle to the head and animal welfare outcomes in the hunt of young harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus). The study population consisted of young harp seals belonging to the Greenland Sea harp seal population. A sample of 171, 2–7 weeks old, weaned harp seals of both sexes were included. The study was conducted as an open, randomised parallel group designed trial during the regular hunt. The animals were allocated into four groups, A–D, according to the observed shooting angle to the head, defined as the angle between the direction of the shot and the longitudinal axis of the animal’s head: (A) directly from the front; (B) obliquely from the front; (C) directly from the side; and (D) obliquely or directly from behind. Instantaneous death rate (IDR) and time to death (TTD) were the main variables. The mean IDR differed significantly between groups and was highest in group B (96.8%) and lowest in group C (66.7%). For all groups combined it was 84.2%. The mean TTD for seals not rendered instantaneously unconscious or dead (n = 27) differed significantly between groups and was shortest in group A (16 s) and longest in group C (85 s). However, the number of animals included in the TTD analysis was limited. In conclusion, based on the significantly higher IDR, the shooting angle obliquely from the front is recommended to help achieve the best animal welfare outcomes during the hunt of young harp seals.

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