Chris Packham, host of a BBC nature show, recently created an international stir when he suggested that pandas should be allowed to go extinct. In his statements he questioned whether it was wise to allocate so much funding towards saving an animal that’s ‘not very bright, doesn’t reproduce well in captivity, and is unfortunate enough to reside in the world’s most populous nation.’

I personally don’t think pandas should be written off, however I do think Packham made some good points and anything that gets people talking about conservation can only be a good thing.

China however does not agree and his comments have been viewed by the nation as slanderous to their most loved and iconic animal. The story made it onto the front page of almost every Chinese newspaper and let’s just say the coverage was not exactly balanced.

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The war of words between Canada and the European Union escalated recently when the Canadian governor general gutted a seal and then ate its heart. When asked to comment, an official European Union spokesperson declared that the events were ‘too bizarre to merit a response’. It remains to be seen how the European Union will respond to such a flagrant affront, but if I were a betting man I would soon expect to see a maple tree massacre on the pages of Le Monde.

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The European Union Parliament recently voted overwhelmingly to ban the importation of all seal products from Canada, as a protest to Canada’s widely criticised seal hunts.

For those of you who don’t know, every spring Canada opens its hunting season on seals, with an annual quota of 350,000 animals. The seals are then brutally slain by fishermen brandishing nail boards. Adding to the barbarism, the seals targeted are the baby seals as they have a white coat which can be used for fur products. The official claim is that the hunt helps subsidize off-season fishermen’s income and therefore is important to the country’s economy. But the truth is, fishermen in Canada receive less than 2% of their yearly income from the hunts.

It remains to be seen whether the EU ban on seal products will have any effect on Canada’s longstanding tradition. However, it is a step in the right direction.

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Audrina Patridge from the television show, The Hills, appears in the latest PETA ad campaign in an effort to convince people to adopt their next animal. It’s a fact that when you buy from a pet store or a breeder, your purchase results in more animals being bred, all the while other animals die everyday waiting for a home in a shelter. It seems like a no brainer that adoption is the way to go. Sure you might not end up with that German Shepherd you had your eye on, but you’ll have a welcome addition to your home nonetheless.

Speaking of animal adoptions; President Obama had promised on the campaign trail that his family’s dog would be adopted. And it is, sort of; he adopted it from Ted Kennedy, who purchased it from a breeder. It’s a vast government conspiracy the likes of which we have never seen before. This blatant sidestepping of the issue didn’t stop the Humane Society from issuing a glowing commentary on the President’s saving of the puppy from near certain death in the nightmare that is Martha’s Vineyard.

Getting back to the topic at hand, a lot of people don’t like PETA. A common criticism I’ve heard is that the organization objectifies women in their ad campaigns. At least this time around those naysayers can rest assured that Audrina had been objectified long before PETA came calling.

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