ALBANY, N.Y. - May 27 - At a protest in Albany on Thursday, PETA will ask New York residents to support the international boycott of Canadian maple syrup that was launched in response to Canada's annual seal massacre. On the steps of the New York State Capitol (New York is America's number two producer of maple syrup), a PETA member will whack a 6-foot bottle of gooey "maple syrup" with a hakapik (the weapon that sealers use to kill baby seals), releasing the bottle's blood-red contents. The bottle's label features a maple leaf dripping blood next to the tagline "Stop the Seal Slaughter." Other PETA members, including one in a seal costume, will hold signs that read, "Buy American: Boycott Canadian Maple Syrup":

When: Thursday, May 28, 2 noon

Where: Steps of the New York State Capitol, Washington Avenue and S. Swan Street, Albany

The boycott will include calls to consumers asking them not to purchase or use Canadian maple syrup and will feature similar demonstrations in the capitals of Maine, Vermont, and other leading maple syrup-producing states. Demonstrations will also be held in front of Canadian embassies around the world.

During the annual seal slaughter--which will take the lives of more than 330,000 baby seals this year--sealers shoot these gentle animals or bash their heads in. Baby seals are often skinned alive while their wailing mothers helplessly watch.

"Canada has ignored calls from around the world to stop the seal slaughter, but we're hoping that a plunge in maple syrup sales might get the government's attention," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "We want consumers to buy only American maple syrup because there's nothing 'sweet' about a country that condones the largest annual massacre of marine mammals on the planet."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.