Blood Sport Puts Great Bears in Peril
April 10, 2014
Blood Sport Puts Great Bears in Peril
Trophy-Hunting Canada’s Grizzlies
by KYLE ARTELLE
The controversial trophy hunt for at-risk grizzly bears in the province of British Columbia, Canada, re-opened this month and is now in full swing.
Scrutiny of this hunt was ramped up last year with new evidence that its economic benefits are small when compared with ecotourism. Add to this further research that suggests hunting management strategies impose considerable risks to bear populations and it’s not surprising that concerns are being raised.
There is strong opposition from many indigenous groups, which have renewed calls for the government to respect tribal laws that ban the hunt on their traditional territories.
They are not alone – recent poll data suggests that 80-90% of citizens in the province, including hunters who target other species, oppose the trophy hunt.
Nevertheless, despite this opposition the hunt was not only re-opened but expanded on April 1st – what might have passed for an April Fools’ joke was instead presented as “science-based” management.
More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/04/10/trophy-hunting-canadas-grizzlies/
= new reply since forum marked as read
>> To keep the probability of over-kill below 5%, targets would need to be reduced by 80%,
>> and one third of hunted bear populations would need to be closed to hunting.
>>
>> Surprisingly, shortly after this study was released, the government instead announced plans
>> to increase the number of bears to be hunted, and to re-open the hunt in two populations
>> that had previously been closed because of over-kills.
