Brigitte Bardot angered by WWF support of seal slaughter

Actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has attacked the World Wildlife Fund for its support of the Canadian Government's plan to slaughter around a million seals in the next three years.

Canada announced the massive killing programme early last month, saying the east coast seal population was now abundant and healthy.

Bardot, who is president of her own animal rights foundation, expressed outrage at the WWF's "scandalous position" in support of the annual slaughter.

"I feel betrayed, it has attacked my most symbolic battle," Bardot lamented in a letter made public yesterday.

The WWF said in response that it "is not, and never has been, opposed to the annual harvest of harp seals off the east coast of Canada" as long as it came within a conservation regime.