B.C. organization issues call to lift grizzly hunt ban

[IronNoggin]

B.C. organization issues call to lift grizzly hunt ban​

B.C. Wildlife Federation: "This will keep getting worse until science-based wildlife management is reinstated."
Citing this week’s injurious grizzly bear attack on a group of school children and a teacher near Bella Coola, the Oct. 2 fatal attack on an elk hunter near Cranbrook, and another mauling of a man hiking near Cochrane, Alta., the B.C. Wildlife Federation is calling for the return of the grizzly bear hunt.

The organization, which advocates for anglers, hunters, firearms owners and outdoor recreationists, said in a media release that calls to the Conservation Officer Service about grizzly conflicts before the 2017 ban ranged from 300 to 500 a year, peaking between April and November.

Since the ban, calls about grizzly bears have doubled to nearly 1,000 a year.

“With no hunting pressure, grizzlies and humans will increasingly occupy the same spaces with inevitable consequences,” said B.C. Wildlife Federation executive director Jesse Zeman.

“Our members in the Creston area say they no longer feel safe walking outside due to the rising number of frightening grizzly encounters. Communities across B.C. are coming to us with concerns about bear conflicts.”

The organization said the same pattern has emerged elsewhere. A lack of hunting pressure was cited by Japan’s Environment Ministry when the army was called in to protect residents of Akita Prefecture after 12 people were killed in bear attacks in just seven months.

“When the hunt was closed we predicted that over time human-grizzly conflicts would increase, but we also know that bears that learn bad behaviours teach those same behaviours to their offspring,” said Zeman. “This will keep getting worse until science-based wildlife management is reinstated.”

The grizzly hunting ban started Nov. 30, 2017. It ended trophy hunting of grizzly bears and stop all hunting of grizzly bears in the Great Bear Rainforest. The province also announced it would launch a consultation process on regulations to support a sustenance hunt, while ending the trophy hunt.

The ban was aligned with public sentiment, the province said. Through the consultation process with First Nations, stakeholder groups and the public, 78% of respondents recommended the hunt be stopped entirely.

First Nations have still been able to harvest grizzly bears pursuant to Aboriginal rights for food, social, or ceremonial purposes, or treaty rights.

https://www.timescolonist.com/anima...issues-call-to-lift-grizzly-hunt-ban-11525979

 

[IronNoggin]

Sow and 2 cubs likely involved in Bella Coola grizzly attack on school group: conservation officer​

Witness accounts indicate there were 2 other grizzlies in the area at time of attack​

Three bears — a grizzly sow and two cubs — were “likely” involved in the attack on a school group in Bella Coola, B.C., according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS).

In a news conference Saturday, BCCOS Sgt. Jeff Tyre said officers have been placing traps and snare sets in the are of the 4 Mile subdivision, but no bears have been captured.

“We have established that there was likely a sow and two cubs involved in the incident," Tyre said, adding the information is based on their investigation and witness accounts so far.

The attack, which happened on Thursday afternoon, left two people critically injured and two others seriously hurt, according to emergency officials.

The school group had stopped along a trail near the community for lunch when they were attacked, BCCOS Insp. Kevin Van Damme said in a Facebook post Friday.

WATCH | Sow and 2 cubs ‘likely’ involved in the attack: Video In Link

Tyre said there are quite a few bears in the area and that the goal is to safely trap the animals, collect DNA and work with wildlife veterinarians to determine whether the bears caught are the ones involved in the attack.

An RCMP helicopter is using thermal imaging to help the search.

“Any bears that were not part of the incident will be relocated,” the conservation officer said.

Tyre said no decisions have been made about whether the bears involved would be killed.

“We will work with the veterinarians to determine the outcome once we identify which bears we have captured."

BCCOS says eight field conservation officers and a First Nations liaison officer are on the ground, and, if needed, more resources are ready to be deployed.

“These investigations and trapping of the animals, a lot of work goes into it,” Tyre said. "This is probably the most dangerous thing we do. Please respect the situation and let us all do what we have to do.”

Residents are being asked to avoid the 4 Mile subdivision, to stay indoors and not search for the bears themselves.

"We can appreciate people want to be involved but this is a fluid and dangerous situation," said BCCOS Insp. Kevin Van Damme in Saturday's Facebook post.

Anyone with information or who wants to report a bear sighting is asked to contact the Report All Poachers and Polluters line at 1-877-952-7277.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/grizzly-bear-attack-search-bc-conservation-officer-service-9.6989324

 

[Ryan A]

Seems like a pattern, officials not listening to science based data and making bad decisions.

 

[Derby]

Seems common sense decision making based off science has gone out the window with government for a while now on most things for sometime now sadly.

 

[agentaqua]

here's the latest and greatest from a couple of academic authors out of U of Manitoba and published in the Toronto-based "The Conversation" - in case anyone wanted to rebut the article, and/or leave comments, and/or contact the authors or Editor:

Calls for grizzly hunts to return to Western Canada oversimplify a complex ecological issue

Hunting advocacy organizations and politicians are inciting a moral panic about grizzly bears, oversimplifying an inherently complex ecological problem.

theconversation.com

1. 
   
2. Tandeep Sidhu
   Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Manitoba
3. Lacee O'Neil
   Master's Student, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Manitoba

Their editor boss is out of Toronto:

Kim Honey
CEO | Editor-in-Chief

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimhoney/

Contact The Conversation

theconversation.com

 

[SG2.0]

they look like they have lots of outdoors experience and expertise LOL