The Valhalla Wilderness Society is appalled that BC’s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is proposing to triple the number of licences from 50 to 150 for resident hunters seeking to kill a grizzly bear in a remote area in the Peace. The Ministry also proposes lifting the limitations on the number of wolves that hunters can kill in the Kootenays, the Peace, Thompson-Nicola and Omineca, allowing hunters to kill wolves year round, including with pups in the den, and permitting trappers to trap wolves on private land.
The government’s rationales for these proposed increases are based on speculative and anecdotal observations of grizzly bear and wolf population numbers often provided by those with vested interests, including hunters and trappers. So much for science-based decision-making! The government is currently seeking public feedback on these proposed changes with a deadline of Jan. 31.
If you, like the overwhelming majority of rural and urban British Columbians oppose trophy hunting, please speak out by going to this website: http://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/pub/ahte. Click on the green hunting and trapping icon at the bottom right of the link’s page and register or log in.
Go back to the previous page, look for grizzly bears and wolves in the species column and click on the link to the left of these species (grizzly bears: page 1; wolves Peace: page 2; wolves Omineca and Kootenays: page 3; and wolf hunting and trapping Thompson-Nicola: page 4). Please click on “oppose” to show you do not support trophy hunting or trapping. Thank you very much for speaking out to protect our wildlife.
Louise Taylor, Valhalla Wilderness Society, New Denver