Grey Seal Pup Shot in Helsinki Archipelago Sparks Debate Over Hunting Practices
A grey seal pup (kuutti) was found shot in the head in the archipelago off Helsinki last week, reigniting discussions about the ethics and regulation of seal hunting in Finland. The discovery was made by Seppo Knuuttila, a senior researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), who photographed the dead animal on 5 August. The pup’s skull had been shattered by a bullet, with blood visible on the rocks where it lay (Ilta-Sanomat; Iltalehti).