A friend in a rural North Okanagan community tells me there are at least six pit bulls in that area that not only run wild, but also bite both adults and children on a regular basis.
Neighbours, those bitten, as well as other concerned residents have asked relevant agencies to intervene, but none has seen fit to do so.
The SPCA says it’s not its jurisdiction. The RCMP apparently can’t be bothered. Surely, Interior Health at least would want ensure that those bitten received tetanus shots.
Meanwhile, in recent weeks, a mother bear and her two cubs were shot in Coldstream simply because they were in the human version of an interface area.
They weren’t threatening anyone. It was the mere fact of their presence that so disturbed whomever phoned in the complaint that summoned the so-called conservation officers who soon permanently dispatched these creatures who had unknowingly overstepped some invisible boundary between human space and theirs.
I lament the deaths of these wild creatures and wonder at the skewed values which allow dangerous pets to run free.
Tish Woodley
Oyama
