'Unethical' killing of B.C. wolves the focus of campaign by local artist and charity
The B.C. government is still killing wolves as part of its Caribou Recovery Program, and a new ad campaign is designed to draw attention to the cull and ensure the public doesn’t forget it.
Featuring drawings by B.C. artist Sarah Ronald, the ad showcases a young wolf named Nadina who was killed by contractors last winter.
“They collared her. They killed her entire family, so seven members in her pack, and then left her orphaned in the wild,” said Aaron Hofman of The Fur-Bearers.
“Six weeks later, contractors found her again, she was travelling with another wolf pup and contractors killed them both,” he said, adding the story was discovered in contractor reports.
The government says mountain caribou are at risk of extinction, and in 2015 it “made the difficult decision” to cull wolves in the South Selkirk and South Peace regions, because it believes wolves are the leading cause of caribou mortality.
The program has sharp-shooters killing wolves from helicopters.
“The recovery of woodland caribou populations is a top priority for our government,” the Ministry of Water, Land and Rescource Stewardship wrote in a response to CTV News. “After years of research, we know that predator management is an effective, temporary measure to halt and reverse caribou population declines in B.C.”
Without it, the government insisted, many caribou herds could face extinction.
Yet Hofman argued the killing is “unethical," and that loss of habitat by expanding industry is the real problem.
“So the government is victimizing wolves as the enemy, when it’s humans that are the problem,” said Hofman.
“The science is clear too that without addressing these fundamental drivers of caribou declines, the wolf cull won’t actually save caribou, they will ultimately be extirpated anyway. So really, they’re just essentially buying time until the caribou are lost,” Hofman argued.
The new ad campaign will be featured on YouTube and on buses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.