Thu 21 Jun 2007
The Daily News (Kamloops)
Thu 21 Jun 2007
Page: A3
Section: City & Region
Byline: Cam Fortems
Source: The Daily News
The provincial government vetoed a plan by the B.C. Wildlife Park to adopt two Alberta grizzlies that do not have a permanent home. Park officials said Wednesday the Ministry of Environment would not OK a permit last year to bring the orphan bears now at the Calgary Zoo to a permanent home in Kamloops. The Alberta facility cannot accommodate the two new bears on a long-term basis along with its current stock of seven.
Parks Canada still has not found a home for Mistaya, who lost his mother in a train collision in 2005.
Ian Syme, Banff National Park’s chief warden, told the Calgary Herald on Tuesday “we are continuing to look for a permanent home.”
Park staff said Syme was not available Wednesday for an interview.
The Kamloops wildlife park is looking for two bears to replace its 32-year-old
grizzly siblings, who are not expected to live more than a couple of more years.“We would take them,” said Rob Purdy, manager of B.C. Wildlife Park.
“They’re Alberta bears. We would help the province (of B.C.) out. It’s whatever they want us to do. They want this park for orphan B.C. bears.”
Barbara Murray, a North Vancouver woman who operates a one-woman bear education organization called Bear Matters, criticized the decision of the Ministry of Environment to turn down bringing Mistaya, along with another two-year old grizzly, Koda, to this province.
“We want them (B.C. Wildlife Park) to try it again,” she said. “Pressure seems to be building to get cubs for Kamloops. That’s fine. We don’t want to take them from our indigenous population.”
But environment officials feel differently. Helen Schwantje, a wildlife veterinarian in the Ministry of Environment, confirmed the decision is to bring an orphan bear from this province to the Kamloops facility when it becomes available.
“The idea is B.C. is focused on B.C. bears,” she said. “The preference and priority is B.C. bears and it should be that way.”
Schwantje said the policy is not absolute. Her understanding is Mistaya is bound for a Saskatchewan zoo.
Zoowatch, a national organization, criticized the B.C. Liberal government Monday for its policy of sending orphan bears to B.C. Wildlife Park deemed by provincial officials not suitable for rehabilitation.
The group believes all newly captive bears should have the chance at reintroduction into the wild.
© 2007 The Daily News (Kamloops)
Idnumber: 200706210079
Edition: Final
Story Type: News
Length: 387 words
September 12th, 2007 at 5:12 am
Bears on the Border: B.C.’s environmental minister’s short-sighted thinking is the cause of anguish in the hearts of people, like me, who care about these two grizzly bears. These two bears are Canada’s bears, bears of the Rocky Mountains. Surely Mistaya’s mother, Bear 66, crossed the border into B.C. many times during her life in and around Banff National Park. I’ve researched written about these bears’ sad plight (Calgary Herald)and visited them many times while I lived in Alberta and again in January of 2007 after I moved away.
My concerns are that these two bears are bonded, like cubs from the same mother. Koda, the Edmonton bear, was handled and nurtured by humans and does not have the “bear nature” that Mistaya has. Mistaya continues to model appropriate grizzly bear behavior for Koda. I cannot imagine the negative consequences of breaking these two up. Further, how Koda will ever survive without Mistaya? The animals’ best interest is never the first choice in our poor attempts at conservation. Case in point: some the keepers at Calgary Zoo told me that there is no reason that Calgary Zoo cannot keep these bears. What’s stopping them? Their administration’s ambitious spectacle, a theme-park style polar bear exhibit.
It’s commendable that the people of B.C. and B.C.’s Wildlife Park are willing to work hard to try to give these two heavy-hearted icons of the Canadian wilderness a home. I just wish your politicians would step aside and let the experts make the decisions.
Respectfully,
Debra Baer Becker