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Index of Subjects This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0514_01C9BD45.C235AB20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi All, Apr 14, 2009 If most of these dead seals are beheaded, and I understand this to = be the case, then one can confidently conclude that the mortality is = from natural or accidental causes; i.e. ice or movement of a ship in ice = as opposed to the swing of some man held cutting tool. Seals in water will either be submerged or with the head just above = the surface. And when thinning ice is breaking up in a high wind one can = expect collisions between pans. Seals must breath at intervals so they = must take their chances, pop up between pans and if their timing is = wrong; kachunk. On the other hand, the orientation of seals on ice will be much less = regular (probably about 1/6 would be rotated such that a suitably = positioned killer could lop off a head, assuming this could be done = without a chopping block below it) and their lateral position relative = to the killer would also not be regular (probably about 1/6 of those = that had some body part within reach of a cutting tool and with suitable = rotation would be positioned laterally such that the neck could be = severed). So roughly 35 out of 36 seals would be oriented and positioned such = that some body part other than the neck would be more readily struck. = And consequently one would expect nearly all of the fatal wounds to be = to the large, exposed and vulnerable areas; rib cage or body spine = because, when the seal was within striking distance, one or both of = these large targets would almost always be oriented such that it could = be hit. These considerations are based on extensive inexperience with seals = and sea ice. Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville ----- Original Message -----=20 From: jen cooper=20 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 3:41 PM Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Dead Seal i have no offering of a method for the 'headlessness issue' but this = is the 4th year (that i've been observing) in a row that headless seals = wash up all around municipal cape breton. there seems to be 2 seal = hunts, the one were all used to hearing about on the news each year and = this second one where the pelts are not utilized and all seems to be for = naught. literally hundreds of headless seals wash up on the shores of = sydney harbour every year and it never seems to be investigated. i = assume its fishermen but i'd love to know for sure.=20 jen cooper > From: randy.lauff@gmail.com > Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:02:23 -0300 > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Dead Seal > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >=20 > And for those of you with stronger stomachs... >=20 > I'm very curious about this headlessness issue. Is there any = evidence > to the method of beheading? Cut, chopped, crushed and torn asunder? >=20 > Randy >=20 > 2009/4/13 Richard Stern <sternrichard@gmail.com>: > > There were at least 4 dead seals on Pond Cove Beach this w/e. All = were > > young, and headless - similar to those described on the CBC news = at > > Lawrencetown Beach this evening. They were providing a treat for = the local > > Turkey Vultures. I have no idea what killed them., but perhaps = it's a > > province-wide phenomenon. > > > > Richard > > > > On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 6:03 PM, Terri Crane = <terri.crane@ns.sympatico.ca> > > wrote: > >> > >> This year the outer edge of the Ice flow was pushed out of the = Gulf and > >> off Cape Breton earlier than usual and large volumes passed just = off our > >> shores heading southwest. > >> > >> I'd say that the early and large out flows of ice are responsible = for this > >> years further south than usual deposits of seal carcus'. I'm sure = most of > >> us along the north eastern shore don't mind sharing this = early-mid spring > >> abundance. > >> > >> In the next short while if you have a carcus on you beach don't = let it get > >> above the tide line. You'll be sure to have you're own smelly, = oil > >> producing, colony of decomposers that will last into mid summer = (lots of > >> experence). Even though the water is cold it seem to excelerate = the decomp > >> of the seals while keeping the smell in check (relatively = speaking). An off > >> shore wind on a falling tide can make it go away. > >> > >> Tom K. > >> Canso >=20 >=20 > Randy > _________________________________ > RF Lauff > Way in the boonies of > Antigonish County, NS. -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ----- Tell the whole story with photos, right from your Messenger window. = Learn how!=20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ----- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com=20 Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.11.54/2056 - Release Date: = 04/13/09 05:51:00 ------=_NextPart_000_0514_01C9BD45.C235AB20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <STYLE>.hmmessage P { PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: = 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } BODY.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana } </STYLE> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6000.16809" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY class=3Dhmmessage bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Hi All, =20 Apr 14, 2009</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial> If most of these dead seals = are=20 beheaded, and I understand this to be the case, then one can confidently = conclude that the mortality is from natural or accidental causes; = i.e. ice=20 or movement of a ship in ice as opposed to the swing of some