Dear editor,
The passing of April 1, 2012 signifies the commencement of yet another season of ruthless slaughter of what is arguably the most iconic of all British Columbiaʼs wildlife, the grizzly bear.
I am a biologist employed as an Interpretative Naturalist on northern Vancouver Island. For over nine years I have introduced thousands of visitors from around the world to a very unique area on the B.C. coast that once boasted one of the densest concentrations of grizzly bears on earth.
I am passionate about the place I call home and consider myself an ambassador to British Columbia, helping people from abroad to connect the dots within what is a very complicated and delicate food web in which the grizzly serves an integral ecological role.
However, I am growing increasingly ashamed when I invariably have to try and explain why in the 21st century, in an apparently civilized country like Canada, we still cater to egocentric trophy hunters who take sadistic pleasure in the destruction of this majestic animal. Sadly, dispelling the misperceptions tourists have of an eco-friendly Canada has become a requisite part of my job.
I am not interested in political rhetoric that desperately tries to justify something that is simply nothing more than legalized murder. Enough with this recurring facade of misleading figures on the alleged associated socio-economic benefits or how the methodical removal of trophy males will reduce infanticide within this
supposedly ʻsustainable huntʼ. It is all nonsense.
The fact is that there has never been a comprehensive, statistically-sound population assessment of B.C.ʼs grizzly bears. The government is floundering in its feeble attempt to blindly manage a resource of which very little is known. Furthermore, between escalating habitat loss, and quickly dwindling salmon stocks, amongst the multitude of other variables jeopardizing the fate of the
grizzly bear, there is no excuse for marketing the vestiges of our wildlife to a minority of special interest groups, most of which are foreign? Trust me when I say that the intrinsic value alone of ensuring the survival of these threatened animals far exceeds anything one could even hope to garner monetarily.
The fact remains that the vast majority of British Columbians vehemently oppose the trophy hunt. It is the government’s democratically-appointed duty to speak and act on behalf of the electors. They have vested within them the authority to make historic change that will be celebrated not only in B.C., but around the world.
In the meantime, this issue remains a needless embarrassment to this province and, moreover, to this country.
Derek Kyostia, B.Sc
Comox
