Black bear hunt unethical, unscientific, unnecessary

By Letter to the Editor on March 29, 2018.

The spring black bear hunt starts April 1 and will inevitably orphan cubs. Alberta Environment and Albeta Parks failed to produce the bear rehabilitation protocol that they had committed to. Thus, cubs will be killed under the orders of the executive director of Fish and Wildlife Policy.

This is unethical, unscientific, unnecessary and unacceptable, why does government support it?

Alberta’s Wildlife Rehabilitators have 27 years of expertise captive rearing and successfully releasing bears with zero post-release conflicts. This service is provided at no cost to the government. Forbidding the rescue of orphaned bear cubs costs taxpayers money because AEP staff kill cubs.

Eighty-four per cent of Albertans do not support the bear hunt. Albertans support wildlife rehabilitation. Let us collectively raise our voices by contacting your MLA, Premier Rachel Notley and Environment Minister Shannon Phillips to demand ethics and science to be reflected in wildlife policy and end the killing of orphaned wildlife.

Lisa Dahlseide

Calgary

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