Bear Matters BC

North Island Wildlife Recovery Society -photo

August 9, 2007
Advocacy groups laud no-shoot policy
By MATT KIELTYKA, 24 HOURS

The provincial government’s recent decision to rehabilitate orphaned bear cubs, instead of shooting them, has conservation advocates bearing some hefty grins.
Barbara Murray, of Bear Matters B.C., says the “no kill” policy - put in place after public uproar over the controversial shooting of a cub in Whistler last month - is an encouraging step.
“We’re delighted with the change in attitude,” she said. “Black bears may not be at risk, but this is an important ethical decision. We need to protect our animals.”
Cubs belonging to killed “conflict” mothers, or those deemed too weak to survive on their own, have been shot in the past, according to Murray.
Under the revised policy, those cubs will be taken to rehabilitation centres instead in the hope of releasing them back into the wild.
It’s a good plan, but Murray says the province needs to step up with funding for B.C’s. four bear rehabilitation centres.
“My concern is that there may not be enough room for the cubs,” she said. “[The centres] are already almost full as it is. We need to expand these facilities.”