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B.C. mulls return of grizzly hunting in controversial report
CANADA'S NATIONAL OBSERVER
By Clayton Keim | News | August 14th 2023
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/08/14/news/bc-mulls-return-grizzly-hunting-controversial-report
B.C. is considering a plan to reinstate grizzly hunting seven years after public outcry pushed the province to ban the controversial sport.
The recommendation was recently floated in a first draft of the province’s Grizzly Bear Stewardship Framework, a report providing policy recommendations for the future of grizzly conservation. It summarizes existing data and highlights the present and future risks to the species’ population.
Grizzly hunting was banned in 2017 following intense opposition from conservation groups. The new report takes aim at that decision, stating the ban was not made for conservation purposes but instead reflected “many British Columbians’ ethical or moral opposition towards grizzly bear hunting.”
Proponents of grizzly hunting defend it as a valid conservation measure and a critical source of income for small communities. Opponents of the hunt characterize the practice as outdated and cruel, claiming the business of commercial bear viewing is far more lucrative and sustainable. The two sides have been embroiled in conflict for decades, and the debate has a tumultuous history in B.C. politics. In 2001, the NDP government placed a three-year embargo on the practice, but the hunt was reinstated the same year when the BC Liberals took power.
Chris Genovali, executive director of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, was quick to call out the report’s shortcomings. As a longtime advocate for grizzly conservation and an ardent opponent of the hunt, he sees the proposal to reinstate hunting as a consequence of entrenched pressure from hunters and guides disenfranchised by the 2017 ban.
“Our sources indicate that this is being pushed by an entrenched pro-grizzly-killing group of bureaucrats within the civil service that have been there for decades,” Genovali said. “Some of the players may change but the mindset remains the same, which is this fervent belief that killing grizzly bears is the legitimate management tool.”
Reinstating the hunt runs the risk of reigniting the heated debate from years prior, leading Genovali to the conclusion that B.C.’s premier is “not really fully aware of what's going on.” Increased public awareness of the hunt’s re-emergence could place pressure on the cabinet to revise the report, he said.
CANADA'S NATIONAL OBSERVER
By Clayton Keim | News | August 14th 2023
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/08/14/news/bc-mulls-return-grizzly-hunting-controversial-report
B.C. is considering a plan to reinstate grizzly hunting seven years after public outcry pushed the province to ban the controversial sport.
The recommendation was recently floated in a first draft of the province’s Grizzly Bear Stewardship Framework, a report providing policy recommendations for the future of grizzly conservation. It summarizes existing data and highlights the present and future risks to the species’ population.
Grizzly hunting was banned in 2017 following intense opposition from conservation groups. The new report takes aim at that decision, stating the ban was not made for conservation purposes but instead reflected “many British Columbians’ ethical or moral opposition towards grizzly bear hunting.”
Proponents of grizzly hunting defend it as a valid conservation measure and a critical source of income for small communities. Opponents of the hunt characterize the practice as outdated and cruel, claiming the business of commercial bear viewing is far more lucrative and sustainable. The two sides have been embroiled in conflict for decades, and the debate has a tumultuous history in B.C. politics. In 2001, the NDP government placed a three-year embargo on the practice, but the hunt was reinstated the same year when the BC Liberals took power.
Chris Genovali, executive director of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, was quick to call out the report’s shortcomings. As a longtime advocate for grizzly conservation and an ardent opponent of the hunt, he sees the proposal to reinstate hunting as a consequence of entrenched pressure from hunters and guides disenfranchised by the 2017 ban.
“Our sources indicate that this is being pushed by an entrenched pro-grizzly-killing group of bureaucrats within the civil service that have been there for decades,” Genovali said. “Some of the players may change but the mindset remains the same, which is this fervent belief that killing grizzly bears is the legitimate management tool.”
Reinstating the hunt runs the risk of reigniting the heated debate from years prior, leading Genovali to the conclusion that B.C.’s premier is “not really fully aware of what's going on.” Increased public awareness of the hunt’s re-emergence could place pressure on the cabinet to revise the report, he said.
