In a time when conservation is critical, and as a Creston resident, I find this event an embarrassment, particularly when a cruel so-called “competition” is planned under the guise of a conservation effort.
It is transparently self-serving and a huge conflict of interest to allow hunters this degree of action in the guise of wildlife management. How often do they trot out the justification for killing ungulates as there being too many, and in this instance justify a predator killing contest to protect them? Their inclusion of raccoons in the “tournament” further shows that this contest has little to do with management. Not only are they specifically targeting predators but also one of their natural, non-ungulate food sources
Climate change, habitat destruction, and hunting are the main reasons for declining populations; the solutions should be focused there.
It was a step in the right direction to end grizzly bear trophy hunting in the province, but much more needs to be done to bring BC in line with current values (78 % of BC residents polled voted to end the grizzly bear trophy hunt). Wildlife management needs to be based in science, ethics and actual conservation needs moving forward. A good first step will be to make these wildlife-killing contests illegal immediately.
It is bad enough that the province is allowing wolf culls to try to save caribou and bighorn sheep (when protecting habitat is the only real solution), and still allows unlimited trapping of our large predators like wolves, but to blatantly allow this kind of blood sport is unjustifiable. It is time for a total overhaul of how wildlife is managed in BC, no longer can we sit by and let the ‘hunters’ and ‘trappers’ make decisions that negatively affect our wildlife.
Glynnis Ewashen | Creston