Seals < Wildlife Hunting < Tree Cutting < 'Green' Subsidies < Real Estate

The recipe to success for Estonia's Oligarchs

Despite the European Union banning the commercial sale and hunting of seals and seal products in 2015 (Estonian Seal trophy Hunting; breach of Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009), alongside countless other treaties and laws, from the WTO, local legislation, as well as the Washington and Bern Conventions concerning the hunting of seals (and protected large mammals), seal hunting in Estonia continues widespread, commercially.

The legislation allows some limited exceptions for 'indigenous' communities (for example Inuits in Greenland/Canada), or population control. Unfortunately, the trade in Estonia is widely for trophy hunting (some 4000 trophy hunting licenses sold to foreigners per year, of which about 100 reserved for seals), even though the government does not recognise officially or legally any communities as indigenous. When we report commercial seal hunting in Estonia to the regulator (the Estonian Environmental Board; Keskkonnaamet), they claim blankly that it's 'indigenous', and then refuse to reply to emails/hang up on calls.

Online, we can even buy canned seal meat, which is again widely illegal, in Estonia, on a European level and globally (WTO).

Why are the seals an issue?

It's not only about seals, they are the tip of the iceberg. Estonia is the 'Africa of Europe' for trophy hunting. Bears, lynx, elk, moose, and even their national symbol the wolves are widely hunted - with over 4000 foreign trophy hunters buying licenses each year, the hunting is out of control. Once major land developers have sold licenses (from 5,000 EU for a seal, to 50,000 EUR for a bear hunt - plus illegally exporting the fur for additional costs) for considerable sums, then there is no reason for Keskkonnaamet to object to cutting down the habitats and forests. The biggest industry in Estonia (wood), now generates huge incomes, alongside the large EU subsidies as Estonia recognises wood burning as a 'green' energy. 

Why don't we hear about Estonian hunting in the press?

All our major press is monopolised by one person, who controls the key newspapers, and is famous for suing journalists who speak up against them. Unfortunately, the same 'oligarch' is one of the key players in deforesting forests, a key shareholder in most of the companies which enjoy unfettered access to purchase and exploit forest lands. To talk about tree-cutting would go against the core business of Estonia's 'politburo'.

But I hear Estonia is green.

Estonia has mastered 'positive' stories through Invest In Estonia, their Statistics Agency, and EAS. A sweatshop of propaganda to hide the huge inequalities, rife exploitation of the environmental and widespread corruption in the judiciary and state. Unfortunately, with wood being the biggest industry in Estonia, the environment falls victim to these huge myths and perception that we are on top of wildlife and environmental abuse.

Things you can do:

1) Sign this Petition
2) Talk to you members of EU parliament, as them to revisit the laws and to fine Estonia's environmental agency.
3) Do not award Estonian environmental projects.
3) Lobby your MEPs to cancel supposed 'green' energy subsidies.
4) Talk about it; share the story with your members of press. There is no real free press in Estonia, so ask foreign press to cover the stories (Guardian, BBC, National Geographic) of wide scale corruption, deforestation and fauna destructions.