The Alberta Government's newly released Caribou Recovery Plan is making headlines today and asking for public input on their survey. Note that they do plan to continue the wolf culls which have done nothing to increase the caribou recovery and the restrictions for ongoing land use does not go far enough. That said there are some very good points in the plan as well.
“Ultimately, caribou come first, and federal law requires each province and territory to develop range plans that protect, over time, at least 65 per cent of that habitat or face federal intervention.”
Alberta’s wolf cull began in 2005 in the Little Smoky Region of the province in an attempt to save the endangered woodland caribou.
Over the last nine years, more than 1,000 wolves have been killed along with 700 other animals.
Currently, the province shoots wolves from the air and uses strychnine bait and private trapping to kill the animals. But the report notes that some 20 moose and elk annually are killed from the poison as well.
“In conducting wolf control, society has embarked upon species valuation trade-offs that not everyone is comfortable with,” the report notes.
First Nations representatives told Denhoff that they would prefer to replace the poison with approaches that avoid killing other species unintentionally and have asked for direct participation in the cull."
Wolf Matters wonders if caribou come first why has habitat protection and restoration taken such a back seat?
We do however commend the Government of Alberta for looking at banning the use of poison and hope that they follow through with this in addition to the banning bounties as they indicated last week - The Province has said:
- the province is planning on banning wolf bounties for hunting and trapping groups and municipalities and counties.
- bounties are not acceptable
- province has never promoted them
PLEASE COMMENT on the survey in regards to the draft plan HERE
“Ultimately, caribou come first, and federal law requires each province and territory to develop range plans that protect, over time, at least 65 per cent of that habitat or face federal intervention.”
Alberta’s wolf cull began in 2005 in the Little Smoky Region of the province in an attempt to save the endangered woodland caribou.
Over the last nine years, more than 1,000 wolves have been killed along with 700 other animals.
Currently, the province shoots wolves from the air and uses strychnine bait and private trapping to kill the animals. But the report notes that some 20 moose and elk annually are killed from the poison as well.
“In conducting wolf control, society has embarked upon species valuation trade-offs that not everyone is comfortable with,” the report notes.
First Nations representatives told Denhoff that they would prefer to replace the poison with approaches that avoid killing other species unintentionally and have asked for direct participation in the cull."
Wolf Matters wonders if caribou come first why has habitat protection and restoration taken such a back seat?
We do however commend the Government of Alberta for looking at banning the use of poison and hope that they follow through with this in addition to the banning bounties as they indicated last week - The Province has said:
- the province is planning on banning wolf bounties for hunting and trapping groups and municipalities and counties.
- bounties are not acceptable
- province has never promoted them
PLEASE COMMENT on the survey in regards to the draft plan HERE
