Have you got a licence for your Sporran Sir?

**Tobus** · 2nd April 14, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by Chas

I have no knowledge about bans in any country outside of the European Union, but do know that the importation of sealskin, from anywhere in the world, into the UK is banned.

Every source I have checked says it's illegal to import or sell sealskin in the US, and refers to the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act as the source of the ban. They don't rigorously enforce it, though, as it's easy to get a sealskin sporran into the country.

But apparently Canada has no such restrictions, and actively encourages seal harvesting (within their yearly quotas).

**Chas** · 2nd April 14, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by Tobus

But apparently Canada has no such restrictions, and actively encourages seal harvesting (within their yearly quotas).

Something to do with the indigenous population and subsequent loss of annual income, so I've been told.

**WillowEstate** · 2nd April 14, 09:18 AM

Yeah, like the legislation protected the badgers from the senseless cull in the UK because they supposedly were responsible for TB in cattle. Not that the cattle were kept in damp barns, fed on silage all winter, of course! Even the official reports said the badger cull was ineffective, sadly, after the event.

I'm all for protecting ALL the native species, it will be a very dull world if they are all hunted or killed to extinction. But I've no qualms about exterminating the imported species, which should provide all the fur we need for our sporrans or whatever. That said, a cane toad sporran might be a hard sell!

**Chas** · 2nd April 14, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by WillowEstate

Yeah, like the legislation protected the badgers from the senseless cull in the UK because they supposedly were responsible for TB in cattle. Not that the cattle were kept in damp barns, fed on silage all winter, of course! Even the official reports said the badger cull was ineffective, sadly, after the event.

Yes a terrible travesty. Luckily the 'professional hunters' were so abysmally bad at their job, that in some areas they achieved 0% of the required total.

It is called Bovine TB for a reason. Yes, the poor badgers had TB, but they caught it from the cattle in the first place. I would have thought that it would be wiser to stop the disease at source rather than try and eradicate secondary sources.