Re: Wolf cull commenced, January 21
David Reid, executive director of the West Kootenay Eco-Society admits, “The caribou situation is ‘really challenging.’” He is quite right and nobody (pet owners or wildlife lovers) wishes an animal to suffer.
In support of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, trusting much to the science and dedication of those working there, I have discovered it is important to consider not only numeric responses, but also possible social and physiological effects of lethal control programs on wolves and other large carnivores.
Some new research from Dr. Heather Bryan of the University of Calgary, along with Dr. Judit Smits, a professor of veterinary medicine at U of C, suggests the hunting experience on these social and sophisticated wolves “may reflect social instability.”
Their studies record elevated testosterone and cortisol levels. This, according to Dr. Marco Musiani also of U of C, may have implications for wolf health, welfare and behavior. This could continue for generations.
Tom Ethier of the Ministry of Forests states, “Wolves weren’t there for a period in the last 10 years, or they weren’t as prevalent.” This is vague, and yet he sharply supports in a later point, “Mountain caribou are listed as an endangered species and their legal status federally means the government is required by law to act.”
Chris Genovali of Raincoast also reflects on this federal endangered designation as he speaks of the southern resident killer whales, and rightly so, demonstrating how the government action plan lacks action. The federal government has lost twice in court (sounds familiar) and, after 15 years, the whales are no better off. A different law perhaps and no one stormed off in helicopters to save a whale.
A neighbour to the south, Dr. Marc Bekoff (professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology) at the University of Colorado, studying how hunting affects stress, reproduction and sociality, insists, “Merely counting the number of individuals who are present and then deciding how to manage them is a shoddy practice.”
I advocate the government donation of $150,000 per year, wrongly allotted to a wolf cull, be spent to support clear research from competent and caring scientists. Furthermore, I don’t speak for the Ktunaxa, yet I imagine the gift of dead wolves is an insult. Perhaps that’s why the ministry hasn’t heard back.
Adrian Rollins
Nelson