Please, urge British Columbia’s NDP government not to increase the hunting of antlerless moose, females and calves – and to not substitute this policy with a wolf cull.
British Columbia’s NDP government is increasing the number of hunting licenses to kill female moose and calves.
Surprisingly, this increased level of killing of even young moose is justified as a way to save endangered caribou. Evidently, their reasoning is this:
Wolves kill and eat moose.
Wolves kill and eat caribou.
Caribou are critically endangered.
Fewer moose will mean less food for wolves.
Less food for wolves will mean fewer wolves.
Therefore, fewer wolves will mean more caribou.
How You Can Help
Call or write the Premier and the NDP government of British Columbia to urge them not to increase hunting licenses for antlerless moose, females and calves.
And further, call for an end to the culling of wolves.
To truly protect caribou, and the natural environment of British Columbia, we urge the NDP government to stop all logging, recreational and other activities that destroy caribou habitat, and to increase areas of protected forest lands.
MLAs of the BC Green Party will be included in our outreach to encourage responsible environmental policies and wildlife protection.
Premier John Horgan
Email: premier@gov.bc.ca
Honourable Doug Donaldson
Minister of Forests, Land, Natural Resource Operations
and Rural Development
Email: FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Interim Leader of the B.C. Green Party
MLA Adam Olsen
Adam.Olsen.MLA@leg.bc.ca
The Issue
Caribou are endangered in British Columbia because their habitat is declining and neither this government, nor the previous Liberal government, have been willing to mitigate human activities like logging, mining and recreational uses. Wildlife received little protection under B.C’s previous Liberal government. Now, sadly, the NDP government seems just as willing to sacrifice crucial forest lands and their own integrity to satisfy the relentless demands of resource-based industries.
A CBC report dated May 29, 2020, stated that the British Columbia government “permitted logging on more than 900 square kilometres of land despite its being listed as critical caribou habitat.” This information is from a study published in Conservation Science and Practice.
Another report in the National Observer from April 9, 2019, states: “As it stands now, 5 different companies will be logging in caribou habitat in the Revelstoke-Shuswap Planning Unit until 2022. There’s no reason to believe that will stop when permits run out — they’ve been renewed despite decades of caribou declines.”
It’s not news that the caribou, like all wild animals, rely on sufficient continuously-connected habitat to allow them to travel in relative safety to forage for food throughout the year. Yet, this and previous governments in British Columbia have proven unwilling to stand up to the demands of the logging industry. So, the habitat that caribou depend on is declining and becoming fragmented. This loss of habitat is the true cause of declining caribou herds, and without sufficient habitat, there is no hope of saving them.
Instead of taking the only action that will protect this or any endangered species, protecting their habitat from over-use by humans, it’s easier to scapegoat another species of wildlife.
Scapegoating Wolves
Wolves have been directly persecuted for years through repeated culls, including being shot from helicopters, a practice approved by the previous Liberal government. Yet, caribou have continued to decline, as their vital habitat continues to be logged.
Members of the Liberal Party opposition in British Columbia are criticizing the NDP government for the increased hunting of female moose and their calves, but their solution is to instead kill more wolves. Neither party seems willing to offend logging and sport hunting lobbyists. In 2015, a Green Party MLA supported wolf culls.
We are used to seeing governments pick winners and losers among species of wild animals. Which species is targeted changes from time to time, but one thing remains constant. Provincial governments, regardless of political party or ideology, continue to scapegoat wild animals for problems caused by human exploitation of our natural lands and the wildlife who rely on them.
No government can claim to be serious about protecting wild animals from extinction if they prove to be unwilling to protect sufficient areas of natural lands from exploitation.
It remains our hope that the current NDP government, lead by Premier John Horgan, will act as true stewards of the province and refuse to follow the policies of the previous Liberal government. This government still has the opportunity to adopt sound environmental policies that will limit logging to be truly sustainable, and to call off the scapegoating of wildlife.
Join Us
Please DONATE to help us be a strong voice for all animals across Canada.
Animal Alliance of Canada has fought successfully to prevent culls of deer and beaver, the poisoning of Richardson’s Ground Squirrels; and will keep fighting for wolves, Double-crested Cormorants and every species of wildlife in our nation.
Your monthly donation helps us to plan our campaigns effectively. Your donation in any amount empowers us to oppose those who harm animals for profit or pleasure, and political gain.
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References:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/caribou-logging-bc-1.5591492
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/04/09/opinion/wolf-kills-and-caribou-zoos-heres-whats-wrong-bcs-new-recovery-plan
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bcs-green-party-mla-changes-position-on-controversial-wolf-cull/article23486930/
https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/301120/Province-increases-the-number-of-moose-cow-and-calf-tags
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/wolf-cull-will-see-animals-shot-from-helicopter-to-save-b-c-caribou-1.2904364
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/outdoor-recreation/fishing-and-hunting/hunting/limited-entry-hunting/2020-2021_leh_synopsis.pdf
https://www.bclocalnews.com/opinion/hunt-for-moose-calves-and-mothers-wrong/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/caribou-logging-bc-1.5591492
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