March 24, 2010
Stop the Spring Bear Hunt
British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest is one of the last tracts of temperate rainforest on Earth. It is home to thousands of species of plants, birds, and animals—including black bears, grizzlies, and spirit bears. One might think that here, the bears could live and thrive in peace. But trophy hunters have set their sights on the vulnerable animals, shooting them with rifles and crossbows for entertainment.
Right now, the bears are hibernating safely in their dens. But starting April 1st, trophy hunters will be allowed to gun them down as they emerge from hibernation to forage for food. Cubs may be orphaned in the process, thereby condemned to a slow death by starvation. Even grizzly bears—who are protected from hunting in the U.S.—are routinely killed in the Great Bear Rainforest. And while hunting of white kermodes (“spirit bears”) is banned, the gene pool is still being affected when black bears who carry the recessive gene for the white phase are taken by hunters.
Humane Society International/Canada has joined forces with Coastal First Nations and a vast network of powerful environment and animal protection groups, representing more than 20 million people globally. Together, we are working to compel the BC government to ban the trophy hunting of bears in the Great Bear Rainforest.
We are very close to achieving our goal. The BC government knows that 78 percent of British Columbians oppose the trophy hunt, and that Coastal First Nations want the hunt banned for cultural and spiritual reasons. But with the spring bear hunt set to open in a few weeks’ time, we need your help now more than ever. We must convince the BC government to act, and end this senseless killing before it is too late.