testmeat photoblog

back in the 18th and 19th centuries fur seals were heavily hunted, primarily for their soft pelts which were in such high demand. by the early 20th century it got so bad that the animals nearly became extinct. remarkably once hunting was prohibited the animals made a comeback and they now number in the millions - a real conservation success story. looking at this cute seal pup lying on the soft grass it's hard to imagine why a human would want to kill and skin this adorable animal. then the following day i visited a museum where they had a 'please do touch' sign above a seal pelt and it was perhaps the softest thing i've ever felt. so i guess i do understand why humans used to kill them in such numbers, but i'm grateful to be living in a century where this is no longer the case.

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