To the editor;
In view of the illegal baiting and eventual killing of Cecil the lion, after 40 hours of suffering from an arrow piercing his body and the ensuing international public outrage, does the B.C. Liberal government not feel it is time to ban trophy hunting of grizzlies in B.C.?
Millions of people have stated their opposition to this senseless killing in Zimbabwe for recreation and an endangered animal’s head on a wall.
As a result, Zimbabwe has banned hunting in the area where Cecil was lured to his death and four major U.S. airlines, along with Air Canada, have decided against transporting wildlife trophies.
We now have a parallel situation in B.C.
Martin Thomas, who ironically was named guide of the year in 2015, was found guilty weeks later of illegally baiting a grizzly bear so his American client could shoot it.
Unlike his counterparts in Zimbabwe, who are facing a prison term, Thomas was given a fine and continues to ply his trade.
If one guide was found hunting illegally, one can be certain others are also using illegal means of luring grizzlies to their death.
Trophy hunting can hardly be deemed moral or ethical in a civilized world.
Even Third World countries are coming to this realization and banning the practice.
What is it going to take for our provincial government to realize the moral obligation it owes its citizens to end this senseless, bloody activity?
Surveys show more than 80 per cent of B.C. residents oppose trophy hunting in the province. How long can the grizzly population sustain itself in the face of reduced habitat, mine and pipeline development, poaching and 3,350 hunting deaths from 2003 to 2014 (1,177 of which were at the hands of non-residents)?
Art Johnson
Kamloops, B.C.
