Images of baby harp seals were seen on television in the 1970s, usually clubbed to death in apparently inhumane manner. The snow would be stained red around them. Studies done later suggest that up to 17% or so may have been killed by this process, and would have been conscious when they were then gaffed and dragged away.

Animals and plants die out from other causes, but as a species humans appear to be almost as destructive as a certain asteroid about 65M years ago. There are arguments about vegetarianism and killing meat for food, but surely we can at least avoid killing animals just for fur, ivory, rhino horn etc when we don't need to do so. And if we need to kill to feed our people (It's difficult for people like the Inuit to become vegetarian) then the least we can do is try to kill humanely, and then use all of the animal.