Malcolm Kendall says he can’t stay silent any longer.
The avid hunter and outdoorsman wants to outlaw bear snaring
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1157214.html
The avid hunter and outdoorsman wants to outlaw bear snaring
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1157214.html
Halifax, NS | Sat, December 12th, 2009Call to outlaw bear snares
Officials say Halifax man’s complaint is the first they have heard against the practice
By CLARE MELLOR Staff Reporter
Sat. Dec 12 - 4:46 AM
Malcolm Kendall looks out the window of his Halifax home. The avid hunter and outdoorsman wants to outlaw bear snaring, something he has run across several times in Cumberland County. (Tim Krochak / Staff)
Malcolm Kendall says he can’t stay silent any longer.
The avid hunter and outdoor enthusiast said he is troubled by bear snaring, which is legal in Nova Scotia.
"I don’t think that most people realize it goes on," he said Friday.
The Halifax resident, who wants the province to outlaw the practice, says he has run across bear snares about half a dozen times while hunting in Cumberland County.
"I have been sickened by it for a number of years, and I’ve always dreaded the thought that I would actually encounter one where there is a bear in the snare, roaring in distress. What do I do then? Do I shoot it? Do I walk away from it?"
The retired school teacher, who hunts grouse, said he’ll never forget the time he came across a pool of congealed blood on the ground where a snared bear had recently been shot. It was clear the bear had torn up the ground around it and clawed a nearby tree trying to break free from the snare, he said.
"When you see something as barbaric as that, it shocks you. I feel very, very strongly about it," said Mr. Kendall, who said he is writing to provincial and federal officials about the matter.
Ross White, vice-president of the Trappers’ Association of Nova Scotia, says bear snaring is considered humane and effective.
Snares are comprised of a steel cable that loops around the leg holding the bear until the trapper returns. Only certified trappers can get a permit to snare a bear. They are required by law to check the traps every 24 hours, he said.
The trapper usually then uses a high-powered rifle to shoot the snared bear, said Mr. White, who lives in the Truro area. Bears most often get caught in the snares at night and the traps are checked first thing in the morning, he said.
"Most generally, they are not in distress very long. When you go to the snare, the bear is laying there. It is quite comfortable. It is quite relaxed," he said.
In 2008, the Natural Resources Department issued 145 bear snaring permits. Sixty-two bears were snared, according to provincial statistics. During the same period, about 2,680 bear hunting licences were issued, with 532 bears hunted and killed.
Only one bear is allowed per hunter or trapper during the bear harvesting season, which runs from the middle of September to Dec. 1.
Tony Nette, manager of wildlife resources for the Natural Resources Department, said there is no move to ban bear snaring.
Mr. Kendall’s complaint is the first he has heard in many years, he said Friday.
Tony Rodgers, executive director of the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters, also said he has not heard any complaints about the practice.
"We see no problem with it," he said.
Nova Scotia’s black bear population has been increasing for the last 15 years, and snaring is an effective way for getting rid of nuisance bears, Mr. Nette said.
"They are hard to hunt. . . . There is a lot of conflict with agriculture," said Mr. Nette, who oversees management of bear, moose and deer in Nova Scotia.
Natural Resources Department field staff is run ragged in the summer with complaints of bears destroying bee hives and blueberry crops, said Mr. Nette, who works in Kentville.
"Even if there was a big push to shut down (bear snaring), I would fight hard to keep it in the regulations so that at least we could use it under special permit for nuisance animals because it is the most effective way," he said.
Mr. Nette says he has seen three carcasses of bears that have been snared, and has seen no bruising or damage to the bear’s limb.
"There is no injury to the animal but they are certainly stressed at being restrained. There is no question there," said Mr. Nette, who has snared bears himself.
However, his concern over bears’ distress at being snared resulted in him pushing for changes to bear harvesting regulations in Nova Scotia a couple of years ago. Trappers are now allowed to check their snares, and kill the animal, after dark.
Bears are shy and usually enter the snares when it gets dark, said Mr. Nette.
"I wait until an hour after dark (to check the snare)," he said.
"Some people may be afraid to go in the dark and find a bear there, but I say that it is your responsibility to minimize the discomfort to the animal."
Mr. Kendall said he is also concerned that Nova Scotia allows exporting of bear parts. The practice has been banned in all other provinces and many parts of the U.S. A demand for black bear gall bladders, which are used in Chinese medicine, has threatened the black bear population in some parts of the world.
Mr. Nette said the reason some jurisdictions have banned exports is because the North American black bear gall bladders look similar to those of endangered bears.
The Nova Scotia department’s philosophy is that all parts of the bear be utilized, and it attaches a special seal to any Nova Scotia black bear gall bladders that are exported so they can be tracked.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no large market for North American black bear parts, he said.
Mr. White said while most trappers in Nova Scotia sell the bear’s fur and other parts, they mostly want to snare the bear for food.
"They want that meat for the winter."
( cmellor@herald.ca)
© 2009 The Halifax Herald Limited
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1157214.html
