The B.C. NDP is pledging to ban the trophy hunting of grizzly bears if the party is elected in the spring.
NDP leader John Horgan says the province has a responsibility to protect grizzlies, and a ban on hunting for sport is long overdue.
Trophy hunting is not only bad for the bear, he added, but it also hurts B.C.’s economy.
"The trophy hunt takes away opportunities for our booming ecotourism sector - and bear viewing creates way more jobs, way more revenue,” said Horgan.
“If you take a picture of a bear over and over again, we can make revenue on that bear over and over again."
The proposed ban would not include game hunting, which means hunters would still be permitted to kill grizzlies for food.
Groups such as the Humane Society International/Canada and the Union of BC Indian chiefs applauded the announcement. Coastal First Nations banned grizzly trophy hunting in the Great Bear Rainforest four years ago.
“I applaud the NDP for publically stating their opposition of the barbaric practice of grizzly bear trophy hunting,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
“I think the fact that they’re willing to take this position is certainly progress.”
More than 90 per cent of B.C. residents oppose the trophy hunt, according to Humane Society campaign manager Gabriel Wildgen.
“Should this policy be implemented, it would be a historic victory for grizzly bears in the province,” he said in a statement, adding that after hunters shoot them, grizzly bears often suffer for hours before they die.
“Grizzlies are highly intelligent, social creatures that play an important role in maintaining balance in British Columbia’s ecosystems.”
The Humane Society is now calling on all major parties in the province to include similar policies in their campaign platforms.
“These majestic animals deserve our full protection, especially since they are already struggling to survive habitat disruption and loss,” he said. “This is why it is imperative for all parties to get behind a grizzly hunt ban.”
