News Room
Scientists urge B.C. to set up grizzly parks
BY JUDITH LAVOIE, Times Colonist
Figures, taken from provincial statistics, show that 317 B.C grizzlies were killed by humans in 2010, 78 per cent of which were legally killed by trophy hunters.
The statistics account for only a few bears taken by poachers, though poaching is believed to double the number of deaths in some areas.
"B.C is one of the last safe havens for grizzlies in North America. However, these bears are consistently threatened by human activity such as resource extraction and trophy hunting," said Faisal Moola, David Suzuki Foundation science director.
The spring trophy hunt starts today and the province is not revealing how many licences have been issued.
Since 1976, an average of 339 bears have been killed annually. The drop last year is probably a reflection of the poor economy in the U.S. and Europe, Moola said.
This spring, a guide outfitter in the Great Bear Rainforest is pricing a bear hunt at $25,000 U.S.
"It's a very rich price to engage in a trophy hunt," Moola said.
The concept of setting up grizzly bear management areas in all of the province's 57 bear population units has been on the province's books since 1995, but the government has failed to follow through except in three limited areas designated as no-hunting zones.
Bear biologist Wayne McCrory, who helped to establish the province's only grizzly bear sanctuary in the Khutzeymateen Valley, said he is disappointed the province is ignoring science-based solutions.
"Consequently, the survival of B.C.'s grizzlies is in jeopardy," he said.
Grizzlies have already been eliminated or are threatened in 18 per cent of the province.
"What we're calling for are essentially bear parks — big areas where grizzlies can feed, breed and roam away from the threat of human activity," Moola said.
"Industrial development and roads would be responsibly managed and trophy hunting would be off-limits in these designated areas. They would also be connected through undeveloped corridors that allow grizzlies to move across the landscape, which is key to their survival."
Natural Resource Operation Minister Steve Thomson declined to comment Thursday.
Ministry spokesman David Currie said grizzly bear harvest management is based on the best available science.
"The foundation of this approach consists of a reliable population estimate, determination of the population growth rate and establishing a harvest rate that sustains or recovers the population," he said.
However, a contentious point is the number of grizzlies remaining in B.C.
The province, which looks at habitat and then estimates how many bears it would support, puts the population at about 16,000, but some independent biologists believe the number could be as few as 8,000.
In Alberta, where fewer than 700 animals remain, there has been no hunting since 2006. The Alberta government confirmed Thursday there will be no hunt this spring.
The Alberta, B.C. and northern bears are regarded as part of the same population and were recommended for protection in 2002 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, but the recommendation has been ignored by the government.
"That poor animal has been sitting in legal limbo ever since," Moola said.
Polls and studies show the majority of British Columbians oppose the trophy hunt and that bear-viewing is more profitable than hunting.
"Maybe with the new administration of Premier Christy Clark the government will follow the advice of scientists and follow the wishes of British Columbians and First Nations," Moola said.
