News Release For Immediate Release
Local groups blast BC government over wolf killings
Environmentalists excluded from wolf management process
Contact:
Sadie Parr
Project Coordinator, Canadian Wolf Coalition
Tel: 250-344-7998
Golden, BC –– The government of British Columbia is creating a wolf management plan and over 23 animal and environmental protection groups, including The Canadian Wolf Coalition, are furious that they have been excluded from the planning process. The groups are greatly concerned a new wolf management plan will only legitimize the systematic killing of wolves to appease big game hunters by artificially increasing the populations of animals such as caribou and elk.
"Despite the assurances of government biologists that the survival of wolves as a species in BC is not threatened by predator control, reports suggest that less than 3% of Canada is adequately protected for wolves. Even provincial parks allow hunting of wolves, and most National Parks are too small to adequately protect a healthy population," says Sadie Parr, Project Coordinator for The Canadian Wolf Coalition. Parr adds, "Current wolf management already allows sterilization of dominant breeding pairs, removal of lower ranking wolves and shooting from helicopters. Furthermore, under the current hunting regulations baiting is allowed, and it is not mandatory to report wolf kills. There are also long hunting seasons, and no bag limits in some areas. It is ridiculous."
The groups are calling on the BC Government to include in their wolf management plan strategies that will:
- protect habitat for wolves and their prey
- eliminate wolf hunting and trapping
- replace lethal control and sterilization with other non-invasive strategies
- reduce wolf-human conflict through educational initiatives
The Canadian Coalition for Canadian Wolves promotes wolf conservation by improving networking among researchers and activists and through Government lobbying.
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