Re: Grizzly bear trophy hunt.
Just in time for this fall’s government-sponsored grizzly bear trophy hunt, which is taking place right now, an Insights West poll indicates that support for ending the twice-annual event has grown in this province to above 90 per cent.
In fact, the poll also found in its survey of residents from all areas of the province that just a meagre two per cent of respondents remain strongly in favor of trophy hunting.
It’s no wonder to me that trophy hunting is becoming less and less palatable to people.
Most of us would never care to hunt down any wild animal just to kill it, especially when we are all aware that our wildlife and wild places are quickly diminishing as a result of our own human ingress into their habitat for all manner of reasons including logging, oil and gas development, recreation and even our own habitation.
The thought that some people want to go and hunt an animal down just for the sake of selfies and take-home body parts to hang on a wall is completely self-serving, arrogant and adverse to 21st-century morals.
But even though our iconic bears have the support of the vast majority of the B.C. population, the odds are still stacked heavily against them since trophy hunt lobbyists are permitted to continually grease the palms of the very politicians that are in charge of regulating the hunt.
Premier Christy Clark herself was the guest of honour at the 2012 Guide Outfitters Association (GOABC) convention.
And Minister of Energy and Mines, Bill Bennett has proclaimed to his East Kootenay constituents that he will defend the trophy hunt as long as he is an MLA.
A public list of these donations totalling tens of thousands of dollars from GOABC to political parties can be viewed at the Elections BC website.
I encourage the other 90 per cent of people in this province, wherever you are, to speak up for our beautiful, iconic grizzly bears.
Together we will end this outdated and unethical practice of killing grizzly bears for fun.
Jacqueline Hohmann
Surrey