National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan

International Day of Action for the Seals, or Whitecoat Day, is celebrated annually on March 15 in many countries around the world. It was established on the initiative of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Whitecoats – the young of the Greenland seal – have been hunted for many decades, primarily because of their beautiful fur. It is the demand for this fur, often dictated by fashion trends rather than by urgent need, that pushes people to destroy these animals in huge quantities. Not so long ago, it could be legally sold in Europe, Russia, China and many other countries.

Greenland seals are found in the North Atlantic, the White, Barents, Kara and Greenland Seas. The mother seal carries her baby for eleven months, and in the spring, adult females and males rise from the sea onto the ice for several weeks to give birth to their offspring – charming and defenseless whitecoats.