Seal Hunt aspect certain to spark debate

Kitchener – Within weeks of opening the acclaimed Andy Warhol’s Factory 2009, the Children’s Museum has opened another exhibition with certain controversial aspects: The Seals of the Magdalen Islands.

The Seals of the Magdalen Islands is a 150 square metre traveling exhibit produced by the Centre d’interpreation du phoque des Iles-de-la-Madeleine realized by the Exhibit Production Centre of the Musee de la nature et des sciences in Sherbrooke in conjunction with Canadian Heritage and the Government of Quebec.

Throughout the exhibition featured on the Museum’s Science Level, visitors will learn surprising facts about the fascinating universe as well as the science behind the four species of seals that inhabit the Islands. Interactive in nature, visitors will have the opportunity to test their knowledge and manipulate artifacts, lift weights, listen to sounds and eyewitness accounts.

They will also learn about the close ties between the seals and Madelinots and how the seal hunt has evolved since the well-known controversy that began in the 1960’s.

“While this exhibit does not take a position in the seal hunt debate, it certainly presents the facts associated with the Madelinots’ way of life and their relationship with the seals,” says David Marskell. “I am interested to see how children and visitors process the information presented and form their own conclusions based on that.”

The exhibition is a scientific look at the geographical and biological conditions of the seals on the Islands and children and families of any age can take away from that.

The Seals of Magdalen Islands opens Thursday January 22 and closes March 29. Access to the exhibit is included in General Museum Admission, which is $11 per person. To view Andy Warhol’s Factory 2009 in addition, children, students and seniors are $13.50 per person and adults are $16.75 (except on Tuesdays which are half priced all day).