'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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.