Taxpayers Fund Mass Killing of Wolves in British Columbia

[wolfbait]

Taxpayers Fund Mass Killing of Wolves in British Columbia

Habitat Protection Way Forward, Not US$500,000 Cull, Say Critics

As many as 184 wolves must be shot in British Columbia, Canada, in order to save the caribou, according to a statement from the provincial government. The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations announced plans on January 15 to address what they consider the threat of wolf predation in the areas of the South Selkirk Mountains and the South Peace, along the border of US states Washington and Idaho.

The caribou, one of Canada’s most recognized national symbols, “is at high risk of local extinction,” according to the ministry’s statement.

The government claims the South Selkirk caribou population declined from 46 in 2009 to just 18 as of March 2014, adding that “evidence points to wolves being the leading cause of mortality.”

The ministry further cites a joint-research project between officials from British Colombia, Washington and Idaho states, First Nations, the US Forest Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which found wolves killed two of the remaining caribou in the past 10 months.

Authorities also claim that in the area of South Pearce, inhabited by four caribou herds, at least 37 percent of all “adult [caribou] mortalities have been documented as wolf predation.”

In order to “remove” the wolves from these areas, the government will deploy “trained sharpshooters” to shoot the animals from a helicopter. The operation will cost over US$500,000.

This latest wolf cull follows the killing of more than 1,000 wolves in the forests of Alberta, between 2005 and 2012, in an attempt to protect 100 caribou living there.

However, while the wolf hunt in Alberta stabilized caribou numbers in the region, it did not result in a population increase, according to a study published in November 2014 in the Canadian Journal of Zoology.  Read More @

http://panampost.com/rebeca-morla/2015/02/04/taxpayers-fund-mass-killing-of-wolves-in-british-columbia/

[mfswallace]

Some on this site would argue all these caribou need is better habitat 

[huntnphool]

Some on this site would argue all these caribou need is better habitat 

 That's it, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

[Firedogg]

Phew!!!   Good thing there are no caribou in Washington that might need protection. 😱

[timberfaller]

  wish I lived in Canada now!

So much for WA wolf numbers increasing soon WAIT maybe that is why they've been showing up them Canadians are shooting them! Remember the head of the National Parks and what he had to say about the Buffalo that left Yellowstone?

[mfswallace]

Some on this site would argue all these caribou need is better habitat 

 That's it, pay no attention to the man wolves behind the curtain!

Fixed it for ya   

[huntnphool]

Some on this site would argue all these caribou need is better habitat 

 That's it, pay no attention to the man wolves behind the curtain!

Fixed it for ya 

 It's not the wolves that hide behind the greenie stance of habitat loss and global warming as a excuse for ungulate declines.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

I doubt they'll get much of a result for their half million.  They didn't get much of a result for the 1,000 wolves they killed in Alberta.

The Peace river herds are probably on a downward spiral because of the building of the WAC Bennet Dam in 1968 and the creation of Williston Lake, which blocks the traditional migration routes of most of these animals and developmental changes to the local environment which favors deer, moose, and elk. The herd north of the lake is still in fair shape although much smaller than in years previous. It has access to important high mountain winter habitat. But the herds stuck on the south side of the lake are really dying off. Of course, that is a habitat issue and nobody wants to believe habitat is important. The other part of the habitat issue is that through human development with farming and logging and mining, the forest habitat in the area has become more suitable for deer, moose, and elk, all of which now thrive in the area. This is the reason for the surge in the wolf population, the rise in deer, moose, and elk population. In fact, one of the strategies for "saving" the local caribou is to sharply reduce the deer, moose, and elk populations to reduce the wolf population which doesn't target the local caribou, but does kill a few if the opportunity arises.  Because of the now small size of these caribou herds, a few dying is a big deal. So to save a couple hundred caribou, (maybe) the deer, moose, and elk in the area may be reduced by thousands. What a trade off. Get rid of game animals that have thrived in the area, to save a few of one species that is struggling.  And scapegoat wolves so people don't look to deeply into why the caribou are really struggling. Because at the same time they have been going downhill, the other cervids in the area have been flourishing. And the wolves are there because of the other cervids. According to internet experts, that isn't supposed to happen. Wolves are supposed to kill off everything.

The wolf killing is just a bandaid on a gaping habitat wound.

Here is the Government draft plan to "save" the upper Peace caribou herds.  While it places the blame on wolves for immediate problems, it also notes human caused habitat changes and herd displacement as long term causes of herd decline, although sometimes it seems like they are purposely downplaying that angle.

[WAcoyotehunter]

I support the wolf removal, but you are right- its a temporary fix.  Basically an emergency plan to buy some time while other projects are explored.  Hwy 3 is a concern, winter recreation might be a concern, habitat changes due to fire/fragmentation, logging.... There are a number of issues.

The habitat change to favor moose and elk is really the biggest problem.  Those populations are the ones supporting the wolves, caribou take is incidental, but important to the small population.

[jasnt]

Here is the Government draft plan to "save" the upper Peace caribou herds.  While it places the blame on wolves for immediate problems, it also notes human caused habitat changes and herd displacement as long term causes of herd decline, although sometimes it seems like they are purposely downplaying that angle.

As always you are purposely down playing wolves. You could have all the habitat in the world but if all/most the caves are eaten each year the herd size will continue to decline.  I know habitat is an issue, not the deciding factor. It's a peace of the puzzle like everything else. They will need to fix more issues than just predators but IMO the predators is step one.

[WAcoyotehunter]

Habitat that encourages moose and elk populations to move higher into the mountains is a serious problem.  That encourages predators to move higher up and incidentally take caribou. 

It's not a "purposeful downplay" on wolves.  It's a realistic explanation of the situation.  Killing wolves will help the problem in the short term, but it's not the answer to all of the caribou's problems. 

Again, I support the removal and agree that it needs to happen NOW.  To save caribou there will need to be more effort on habitat and more time....   

[timberfaller]

Mt. Caribou have been in the Student manual of Hunter Ed. as a protected species for some time now.  Remember this, Government has NO solutions to Problems, emotionalism gets in the way of doing what is right.

"Predator control" has been a issue NOT willing to be addressed now or in the future.  I've run into it in just about every Public meeting over wildlife issues from, Protected Species to allowed Poaching!

I remember the day when game wardens shot "Raptors" and had one tell my dad to do the same when my dad confronted a warden about the dwindling number of Sharptail grouse in the area we hunted.

I grew up hunting Sage Hens and Sharptail, the Habitat is still there,  but something else wiped them out, any guess?? AND its not Ag chemicals!

Canada's form of government, requires "taxpayers" to fork over a lot more then we have to.  BUT we're catching up with them!   

[wolfbait]

Habitat that encourages moose and elk populations to move higher into the mountains is a serious problem.  That encourages predators to move higher up and incidentally take caribou. 

It's not a "purposeful downplay" on wolves.  It's a realistic explanation of the situation.  Killing wolves will help the problem in the short term, but it's not the answer to all of the caribou's problems. 

Again, I support the removal and agree that it needs to happen NOW.  To save caribou there will need to be more effort on habitat and more time....

The Canadian Field-Naturalist

http://idahoforwildlife.com/Charles%20Kay/72-The%20Return%20of%20the%20caribou%20to%20Ungava.pdf

[wolfbait]

I doubt they'll get much of a result for their half million.  They didn't get much of a result for the 1,000 wolves they killed in Alberta.

The Peace river herds are probably on a downward spiral because of the building of the WAC Bennet Dam in 1968 and the creation of Williston Lake, which blocks the traditional migration routes of most of these animals and developmental changes to the local environment which favors deer, moose, and elk. The herd north of the lake is still in fair shape although much smaller than in years previous. It has access to important high mountain winter habitat. But the herds stuck on the south side of the lake are really dying off. Of course, that is a habitat issue and nobody wants to believe habitat is important. The other part of the habitat issue is that through human development with farming and logging and mining, the forest habitat in the area has become more suitable for deer, moose, and elk, all of which now thrive in the area. This is the reason for the surge in the wolf population, the rise in deer, moose, and elk population. In fact, one of the strategies for "saving" the local caribou is to sharply reduce the deer, moose, and elk populations to reduce the wolf population which doesn't target the local caribou, but does kill a few if the opportunity arises.  Because of the now small size of these caribou herds, a few dying is a big deal. So to save a couple hundred caribou, (maybe) the deer, moose, and elk in the area may be reduced by thousands. What a trade off. Get rid of game animals that have thrived in the area, to save a few of one species that is struggling.  And scapegoat wolves so people don't look to deeply into why the caribou are really struggling. Because at the same time they have been going downhill, the other cervids in the area have been flourishing. And the wolves are there because of the other cervids. According to internet experts, that isn't supposed to happen. Wolves are supposed to kill off everything.

The wolf killing is just a bandaid on a gaping habitat wound.

Here is the Government draft plan to "save" the upper Peace caribou herds.  While it places the blame on wolves for immediate problems, it also notes human caused habitat changes and herd displacement as long term causes of herd decline, although sometimes it seems like they are purposely downplaying that angle.

Habitat Largely Irrelevant? I have to be kidding right? Well, Banff and Jasper National Parks in the central Canada contained some of the most spectacular wildlife habitat in North America but today it is largely a game-less country due to predation. Approximately 40 years ago, wolves re=colonized parks that already contained grizzlies, black bears and mountain lions. The addition of wolves to the system has just about eliminated the moose and reduced elk populations by 80% or more. It's important to remember that the wildlife in Banff and Jasper are not hunted. Wolves have also caused elk herds to abandon large portions of their pre-wolf ranges. The habitat is still their, but the elk are not. And unlike our Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service, who contend that predators have little effect on game populations, Parks Canada fully acknowledges what has transpired!
Read More @ http://idahoforwildlife.com/Charles%20Kay/63-%20Are%20predators%20killing%20your%20hunting%20opportunies%20.pdf

[WAcoyotehunter]

6 wolves per 100 km sq seems to be the threshold for caribou populations....according to Canada researchers.