I must admit, I find myself dismayed every time I hear about healthy, happy animals being killed by conservation officers who are employed to protect and preserve the local environment.
A conservation officer’s priority, as similarly listed on numerous career description websites from all over the world is, “to protect, manage and enhance the local environment.”
Our local conservation officers have used human safety in their killing of local wildlife far too many times to make a justifiable argument in defense of his actions.
The killing of the healthy three-year-old female cougar that was killed Jan. 3 reinforces this failure in upholding conservation officers’ responsibilities.
With a priority and responsibility of protecting, managing and enhancing our local environment comes certain forms of necessary education and consideration of specific knowledge and research.
Any educated environmentalist knows that proper relocation of animals rarely results in a return of that animal.
Helping these animals find healthy habitats that may sustain them for at least a few years (before humans once again intrude on their land) may take more time and effort on the part of the conservation officers but it is their job. Not putting in the efforts to do so demonstrates negligence of employment responsibilities.
Conservation officers, please help these animals find a new home before neglecting your prioritized responsibilities and taking a lethal stance against them.
It is your job to protect and manage the local environment through enhancement, not destruction.
I will be the first to admit that cougars have no place near our schools but countless times, healthy, relocatable animals, that have done no harm to local humans, are hunted and killed by our conservation officers who neglect their responsibilities.
In regards to the most recent kill, as well as many of the previous kills, relocation could have been, and should have been, the priority.
These animals were healthy and self-reliant for survival.
They were an important part of the ecosystem that human beings continue to infringe on through unrelenting expansion. They were relocatable living creatures.
Tag and relocate these animals properly. Keep track of the ones that return to human populaces.
I think you will be surprised as to the effectiveness of (key word) proper relocation efforts. Conservation = preservation.
Ryan Plouffe
Vernon
