CALLS TO ACTION!
We can't do it alone! Wolves need a collective voice! Speak up!
This page is dedicated to issues that require your immediate attention and your help!! Please check back periodically to see how your voice and actions can have an impact on the issues!
This page is dedicated to issues that require your immediate attention and your help!! Please check back periodically to see how your voice and actions can have an impact on the issues!
PRESENT ACTIONS
Petition Signatures Required - Petition e-3047 - Banning the use of Strychnine, 1080, Cyanide
Petition to the Government of CanadaWhereas:
- Strychnine, Compound 1080 (sodium monofluoroacetate), and sodium cyanide are widely acknowledged as inhumane methods of killing animals due to the intensity and duration of suffering they cause;
- The use of strychnine and Compound 1080 is considered inhumane by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and the use of strychnine as a method of euthanasia is in contravention of the Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines, and those of the the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Society of Mammalogists; and
- The indiscriminate nature of these poisons results in the death of non-target animals, including wild and endangered species, pets, and farm animals, and poses a threat to human health.
Open for signature
December 21, 2020, at 9:28 a.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
April 20, 2021, at 9:28 a.m. (EDT)
December 21, 2020, at 9:28 a.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
April 20, 2021, at 9:28 a.m. (EDT)
SIGN PETITION HERE -----------> E3047 Petition
Banning Snares
January 2019
Thousands of wolves, coyotes and foxes are inhumanely killed every year in snares in Alberta. Many other non target animals are also killed or harmed in snares including people's pets. Trappers and government officials argue that snares are humane methods of killing wild animals because they kill instantly and the animal does not suffer. On the contrary, numerous peer reviewed studies by wildlife biologists and other scientists have indicated that snares are cruel and that many times animals suffer a horrifying prolonged death from snares. Additionally, there are numerous photos, videos and testimonials from trappers themselves, depicting and stating that animals have been found alive in snares after days and many times the animals are maimed because they have been snared around their abdomen, foot, snout, etc. What is sad, is that the use of snares, and baiting animals towards snares is completed legal in Alberta and that a trapper can trap as many wolves/coyotes in a season as he/she wants. There is no bag limit. In Alberta alone, just last year, trappers reported killing almost 700 wolves and a staggering 46,120 coyotes. Many of these coyotes end as fur on the popular Canada Goose jackets. We are asking that you take action for wolves and other canids in the province. Spread the word and please continue to call/tweet/write your MLA and other Alberta decision makers.
To make it a bit easier, we have written up two different letters that you can address to whom ever you'd like. Feel free to copy and paste and just fill in the blanks with your name and who you are addressing. Ideally, it is more profound and has more of an impact if you individualize each letter, adding why you personally feel like change is needed. Examples would be you are a tourist to Alberta, you are a wildlife photographer, a hiker with pets, etc. We have also listed links to our snaring information page and our Trapping/snaring myths and truths page for more information that you can copy and paste if you'd like to add to your letter. And finally we have listed contact numbers for the leaders in Alberta as well as the website to call your MLA. Please keep writing, keep calling and share this call to Action with your friends and family.
For more information about killing neck snares:
Wolf Matters -- Snaring: http://www.wolfmatters.org/snaring.html
FAQ's about trapping and Snaring: http://www.wolfmatters.org/snaringtrapping.html
'Intolerable Cruelty: The Truth Behind Killing Neck Snares and Strychnine' by Dr. Gilbert Proulx: https://alphawildlife.ca/product/intolerable-cruelty-the-truth-behind-killing-neck-snares-and-strychnine/
Researchers want killing neck snares added to the AIHTS: https://thefurbearers.com/blog/researchers-want-killing-snares-added-aihts
Exposed with John E. Marriott: Take Action on Snares in Canada: https://exposedwithjohnemarriott.com/blogs/news/take-action-on-choking-to-death-killing-canadas-wolves-with-neck-snares?fbclid=IwAR29ec9TRKiyEjp830aSXfkGknKTeb4jyydttvAzmknTLMOG0ABLhKUzmII
Videos:
https://youtu.be/QIwOGT7Vjf8 (live wolf in snare caught by foot)
https://youtu.be/h6Ef_zAV-Ak (live wolf in a snare)
https://youtu.be/HkWWIid6JkA (wolf leg in a snare)
https://youtu.be/ABPOIjku5-s (struggling coyote in snare)
https://youtu.be/404UrDhaphk (jelly head)
News Articles:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/trapping-regulations-put-public-at-risk-says-former-predator-control-officer-1.3460593
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/dog-owners-sound-alarm-after-pet-caught-in-fur-trapper-s-snare-in-kananaskis-1.4268391
To make it a bit easier, we have written up two different letters that you can address to whom ever you'd like. Feel free to copy and paste and just fill in the blanks with your name and who you are addressing. Ideally, it is more profound and has more of an impact if you individualize each letter, adding why you personally feel like change is needed. Examples would be you are a tourist to Alberta, you are a wildlife photographer, a hiker with pets, etc. We have also listed links to our snaring information page and our Trapping/snaring myths and truths page for more information that you can copy and paste if you'd like to add to your letter. And finally we have listed contact numbers for the leaders in Alberta as well as the website to call your MLA. Please keep writing, keep calling and share this call to Action with your friends and family.
For more information about killing neck snares:
Wolf Matters -- Snaring: http://www.wolfmatters.org/snaring.html
FAQ's about trapping and Snaring: http://www.wolfmatters.org/snaringtrapping.html
'Intolerable Cruelty: The Truth Behind Killing Neck Snares and Strychnine' by Dr. Gilbert Proulx: https://alphawildlife.ca/product/intolerable-cruelty-the-truth-behind-killing-neck-snares-and-strychnine/
Researchers want killing neck snares added to the AIHTS: https://thefurbearers.com/blog/researchers-want-killing-snares-added-aihts
Exposed with John E. Marriott: Take Action on Snares in Canada: https://exposedwithjohnemarriott.com/blogs/news/take-action-on-choking-to-death-killing-canadas-wolves-with-neck-snares?fbclid=IwAR29ec9TRKiyEjp830aSXfkGknKTeb4jyydttvAzmknTLMOG0ABLhKUzmII
Videos:
https://youtu.be/QIwOGT7Vjf8 (live wolf in snare caught by foot)
https://youtu.be/h6Ef_zAV-Ak (live wolf in a snare)
https://youtu.be/HkWWIid6JkA (wolf leg in a snare)
https://youtu.be/ABPOIjku5-s (struggling coyote in snare)
https://youtu.be/404UrDhaphk (jelly head)
News Articles:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/trapping-regulations-put-public-at-risk-says-former-predator-control-officer-1.3460593
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/dog-owners-sound-alarm-after-pet-caught-in-fur-trapper-s-snare-in-kananaskis-1.4268391
Letters To Use:
Please feel free to personalize these letters, add information, delete, or simply use as is (just fill in your name and who it is addressed to). Please find attached both the file form and the document posted. If you are unable to use either of these forms, let us know and we will send an alternative format for your use: contact us
After you send your letter, please head over to The Fur Bearer Defenders site and support their anti-snaring letter as well: https://thefurbearers.com/blog/action-alert-ban-snares-canadathefurbearers.com/blog/action-alert-ban-snares-canada
| snaring_letter_1.docx |
| snaring_letter_2.docx |
Who To Contact:
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EMAIL:
Environment and Parks Phone: 780 427-7763 E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 780-427-2251 (Edmonton) Toll free: 310-0000 (in Alberta) Phone: 780-427-2711 (outside Alberta) Twitter: @JKenney |
A coyote with a snare around it's nose - seen on the Alberta Outdoorsman Forum
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PAST ACTIONS
January 3, 2017
PETITION SUBMITTED TO ALBERTA GOVERNMENT
SEEKING GREATER PROTECTION FOR THE PROVINCE’S WOLVES
We would like to announce that a petition to urge the Alberta Government to take measures to improve the treatment and protection of wolves in the province of Alberta has been submitted on December 14, 2016, to the Alberta Legislature, by the MLA for Banff-Cochrane, Cameron Westhead. The legally binding petition was tabled on December 14th, 2016 and includes the signatures of 10,000 Albertans, and a YouTube video (see below) has recorded the event. It took over 3 years of hard work and diligence to collect the minimum 10,000 signatures required for the petition to be tabled, and we are very excited to share this milestone achievement with all of you, many of whom signed and helped gather signatures. To remind you, the Alberta wolf petition seeks to 1) prohibit the posting of bounties on wolves by individuals, clubs, special interest groups, or municipalities; 2) abolish the use of poisons, such as strychnine; 3) improve humane standards for the use of snares and make documentation for all snare bycatch mandatory; 4) reduce the six-month trapping season and ten-month hunting season upon wolves; 5) keep an inventory and monitor the wolf populations of Alberta; 6) educate ranchers and promote the non-lethal wolf control methods (e.g.: as per those implemented by southern Alberta members of the Mountain Livestock Co-operative); and 7) introduce legislation
protecting wolves on public lands, including community grazing pastures. Currently wolves are "managed" by the provincial government using such inhumane methods as poisoning (strychnine), aerial shooting, lethal snares and leg-hold traps, many of which have been banned in other countries due to their inhumane and indiscriminate nature. In addition, the Alberta government permits individuals, clubs and special interest groups to post bounties and hold wolf killing contests in an uncontrolled way run by municipalities.We know that those who signed the petition would like to change the provincial government's current barbaric and outdated management of wolves to one that is more humane, based on science and improves the treatment and protection of the province's wolves. Alberta’s Wolf Management Plan has not been updated since 1991 and is well over due for an update.
Various dedicated and concerned individuals, non profit organizations, and businesses worked diligently to promote this petition, educate the public about the contents of the petition, collect signatures and present the signed petitions to a willing MLA.
It is now critical that Albertans contact their MLA’s to ask for their support with this petition.
It is time for Alberta to move forward and for the Government policies to reflect what Albertans want with respect to wildlife policies as indicated by countless polls where well over 70% are against these inhumane methods.
Please call/write your MLA today and ask that they support this petition. Without pressure from the public, the petition will really have no weight. THANK YOU!
Find your MLA here: https://www.assembly.ab.ca/lao/mla/mla_help.htm
protecting wolves on public lands, including community grazing pastures. Currently wolves are "managed" by the provincial government using such inhumane methods as poisoning (strychnine), aerial shooting, lethal snares and leg-hold traps, many of which have been banned in other countries due to their inhumane and indiscriminate nature. In addition, the Alberta government permits individuals, clubs and special interest groups to post bounties and hold wolf killing contests in an uncontrolled way run by municipalities.We know that those who signed the petition would like to change the provincial government's current barbaric and outdated management of wolves to one that is more humane, based on science and improves the treatment and protection of the province's wolves. Alberta’s Wolf Management Plan has not been updated since 1991 and is well over due for an update.
Various dedicated and concerned individuals, non profit organizations, and businesses worked diligently to promote this petition, educate the public about the contents of the petition, collect signatures and present the signed petitions to a willing MLA.
It is now critical that Albertans contact their MLA’s to ask for their support with this petition.
It is time for Alberta to move forward and for the Government policies to reflect what Albertans want with respect to wildlife policies as indicated by countless polls where well over 70% are against these inhumane methods.
Please call/write your MLA today and ask that they support this petition. Without pressure from the public, the petition will really have no weight. THANK YOU!
Find your MLA here: https://www.assembly.ab.ca/lao/mla/mla_help.htm
Many of you have asked for assistance in what to say to your MLA and others. We have addressed key points for you in the notes. We encourage you to speak with your MLA, call Minister's office, the Premier, follow up with emails, ask for replies. And follow up again. They will try to redirect you and make excuses for their actions but what is happening now, is not working or they would not have to keep culling wolves. Insist on changes. Ask your MLA to truly represent what Albertans are asking for with respect to wildlife and land. Email TV, radio and Editors with your thoughts and concerns. Talk to friends and family and ask them to also get involved. Author Kevin Van Tighem wrote in an article about wolves being classified as a species subject to special management to include
protecting them until a problem develops and then targeting specific problem animals rather than all wolves indiscriminately. We think that is a wonderful statement and one that the majority of Albertans could comfortably get behind and support. A comprehensive plan that is supported by current, peer reviewed science, instead of just implementing the same old plan of simply killing off what doesn't fit neatly into our lives. It is about addressing human behaviours, which are ultimately the core issue. Thanks so much to all of you for your help and support.
Discussion Points
Wolf Matters·Monday, January 9, 20172 Reads
There are two issues with respect to wolves in Alberta.
1) Caribou recovery. The GoA is basically killing wolves and creating a caribou farm when the issue is habitat. If there is no where for them to live and safely reproduce, no food to eat then the caribou will not survive. If industry continues to disrupt this sensitive species and provide direct access via cutlines and logging roads for predators and for other ungulates in to caribou habitat these animals will not survive. Countless scientists have weighed in on this against the cull and fenced in area for the caribou as being futile as the habitat issues have not been adequately addressed. Over many years wolves have been shot from the air and poisoned with little to no impact on caribou recovery. The science does not support what the GoA is putting in place to “recover” the caribou. The GoA’s plan does not even adequately address public access to this sensitive area let alone industry.
2) Wolves can be hunted 10 months of the year, all you need is a tag and you can kill as many wolves as you can find during the large game season. Ranchers can kill a wolf for just being near their land, let alone having actually done anything to warrant being killed at any time throughout the year and the rancher does not have to have done anything to be proactively deterring predation, such as electric fencing, proper husbandry or supervision. Even on public land where cattle graze, wolves can be killed just for being there.
3) Wolves can be snared or trapped 6 months of the year. The GoA will tell you that traps and snares are considered perfectly humane according to the Fur Institute. That is a bit like taking advice from a fox on about hen house security. Proulx and Rodtka have studies that show how horrific and inhumane snares really are but all you really need to do is see a photo of a nearly decapitated animal to know that the death was not the “humane and swift” death that trappers will have you believe. In addition traps/snares are not species specific, many animals including dogs and cats are caught in traps.
4) Poison is used by ranchers on occasion through Fish and Wildlife and in caribou habitat. Poison is used no where else in North America as a wildlife management tool, it is considered too inhumane, not species specific (that is it kills anything that consumes and can get into the food chain through water, ground and other animals). Death by poison is enormously painful and causes tremendous suffering.
5) Although the GoA admits that bounties are not a useful tool in “managing” predators, that in fact they can actually increase predation issues and they do not pay bounties, they do allow them to go ahead with municipalities and outfitters paying the bounty. The outfitters use this method to reduce predators in order to increase the number of ungulates that they can kill in their guiding business. So special interest groups reaping the benefits. For the municipalities the bounties can be included in killing contests for fun. Culls and bounties are ineffective because:
When a pack is fractured, an alpha animal for example, younger animals who rely heavily on adults to teach them to hunt and survive will not have the benefit of this guidance and may resort to livestock as a way to survive.
Rebound reproduction - several pairs may reproduce in a pack, not just the alpha, when they are heavily hunted. In order to sustain the larger number of offspring, they may resort to livestock predation.
When a entire pack is removed, another one will likely move in or at least other predators and these new residents in an area may not have the skills of the previous ones to hunt their natural prey and may resort to livestock predation.
While it is not always possible to completely remove lethal methods, it is clear that overall they are not reliable and if they were then they would not need to be repeatedly used. Ranchers should have the assistance in use of non lethal methods such as electric fencing, range riders, livestock guarding animals, rotational fencing/grazing and many other methods as opposed to simply providing payment for the livestock after the predation with no accountability on the rancher to mitigate future losses ie. husbandry and fencing etc.
Culls, bounties, snares and use of poisons should be prohibited. Hunting season of wolves at least reduced considerably if not completely. In caribou areas, focus on habitat reconstrucirton, major reduction in disturbance, closing off of access points.
protecting them until a problem develops and then targeting specific problem animals rather than all wolves indiscriminately. We think that is a wonderful statement and one that the majority of Albertans could comfortably get behind and support. A comprehensive plan that is supported by current, peer reviewed science, instead of just implementing the same old plan of simply killing off what doesn't fit neatly into our lives. It is about addressing human behaviours, which are ultimately the core issue. Thanks so much to all of you for your help and support.
Discussion Points
Wolf Matters·Monday, January 9, 20172 Reads
There are two issues with respect to wolves in Alberta.
1) Caribou recovery. The GoA is basically killing wolves and creating a caribou farm when the issue is habitat. If there is no where for them to live and safely reproduce, no food to eat then the caribou will not survive. If industry continues to disrupt this sensitive species and provide direct access via cutlines and logging roads for predators and for other ungulates in to caribou habitat these animals will not survive. Countless scientists have weighed in on this against the cull and fenced in area for the caribou as being futile as the habitat issues have not been adequately addressed. Over many years wolves have been shot from the air and poisoned with little to no impact on caribou recovery. The science does not support what the GoA is putting in place to “recover” the caribou. The GoA’s plan does not even adequately address public access to this sensitive area let alone industry.
2) Wolves can be hunted 10 months of the year, all you need is a tag and you can kill as many wolves as you can find during the large game season. Ranchers can kill a wolf for just being near their land, let alone having actually done anything to warrant being killed at any time throughout the year and the rancher does not have to have done anything to be proactively deterring predation, such as electric fencing, proper husbandry or supervision. Even on public land where cattle graze, wolves can be killed just for being there.
3) Wolves can be snared or trapped 6 months of the year. The GoA will tell you that traps and snares are considered perfectly humane according to the Fur Institute. That is a bit like taking advice from a fox on about hen house security. Proulx and Rodtka have studies that show how horrific and inhumane snares really are but all you really need to do is see a photo of a nearly decapitated animal to know that the death was not the “humane and swift” death that trappers will have you believe. In addition traps/snares are not species specific, many animals including dogs and cats are caught in traps.
4) Poison is used by ranchers on occasion through Fish and Wildlife and in caribou habitat. Poison is used no where else in North America as a wildlife management tool, it is considered too inhumane, not species specific (that is it kills anything that consumes and can get into the food chain through water, ground and other animals). Death by poison is enormously painful and causes tremendous suffering.
5) Although the GoA admits that bounties are not a useful tool in “managing” predators, that in fact they can actually increase predation issues and they do not pay bounties, they do allow them to go ahead with municipalities and outfitters paying the bounty. The outfitters use this method to reduce predators in order to increase the number of ungulates that they can kill in their guiding business. So special interest groups reaping the benefits. For the municipalities the bounties can be included in killing contests for fun. Culls and bounties are ineffective because:
When a pack is fractured, an alpha animal for example, younger animals who rely heavily on adults to teach them to hunt and survive will not have the benefit of this guidance and may resort to livestock as a way to survive.
Rebound reproduction - several pairs may reproduce in a pack, not just the alpha, when they are heavily hunted. In order to sustain the larger number of offspring, they may resort to livestock predation.
When a entire pack is removed, another one will likely move in or at least other predators and these new residents in an area may not have the skills of the previous ones to hunt their natural prey and may resort to livestock predation.
While it is not always possible to completely remove lethal methods, it is clear that overall they are not reliable and if they were then they would not need to be repeatedly used. Ranchers should have the assistance in use of non lethal methods such as electric fencing, range riders, livestock guarding animals, rotational fencing/grazing and many other methods as opposed to simply providing payment for the livestock after the predation with no accountability on the rancher to mitigate future losses ie. husbandry and fencing etc.
Culls, bounties, snares and use of poisons should be prohibited. Hunting season of wolves at least reduced considerably if not completely. In caribou areas, focus on habitat reconstrucirton, major reduction in disturbance, closing off of access points.
UPDATE: The Alberta Government got it's permit for Strychnine renewed until 2022. Thank you anyways to everyone that spoke up and wrote letters.
June 28, 2017
STRYCHNINE POISON - PRODUCT UP FOR RENEWAL IN ALBERTA ON DECEMBER 31, 2017.
Despite being condemned internationally and banned in many countries, toxicants like strychnine and compound 1080 are still being used by the Alberta government on wolves, coyotes, and bears. The use of poisons has been widely criticized by scientists and by the general public as they
are inhumane, they are non selective, and they are in contravention of animal welfare guidelines. The agonizing death and frightening capacity to kill organisms in large numbers, places the use of poison in violation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Wolf Manifesto and goes against the guidelines set out by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC). The wildlife services and government use of poison has been long term, despite being dangerous and inhumane, as it is inexpensive and easy to use. The use of strychnine to control predator populations is biologically and ethically unacceptable and it is time that the Alberta government ban these dangerous toxins as other places have done.
Currently, Strychnine is coming up for renewal in Alberta and we have a chance to speak up and tell our elected officials that this poison needs to be banned. You can read all about strychnine on our poison page HERE. Please feel free to use this information to formulate your emails and letters or phone calls. You can read more information on strychnine below as well:
are inhumane, they are non selective, and they are in contravention of animal welfare guidelines. The agonizing death and frightening capacity to kill organisms in large numbers, places the use of poison in violation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Wolf Manifesto and goes against the guidelines set out by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC). The wildlife services and government use of poison has been long term, despite being dangerous and inhumane, as it is inexpensive and easy to use. The use of strychnine to control predator populations is biologically and ethically unacceptable and it is time that the Alberta government ban these dangerous toxins as other places have done.
Currently, Strychnine is coming up for renewal in Alberta and we have a chance to speak up and tell our elected officials that this poison needs to be banned. You can read all about strychnine on our poison page HERE. Please feel free to use this information to formulate your emails and letters or phone calls. You can read more information on strychnine below as well:
Read a veterinarians account of strychnine poisoning
| 129_-_2015_-_strychnine_is_unacceptable_ec2015-1.pdf |
| strychnine_nov_25_2013_sarah_wood.pdf |
| how_strychnine_works.pdf |
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Please write/call
Hoffman, Sarah, Honourable Deputy Premier, Minister of Health Members of Executive Council Executive Branch 423 Legislature Building 10800 - 97 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6 Phone: 780 427-3665 Fax: 780 415-0961 E-mail: [email protected] Alberta Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Minister of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Oneil Carlier Email: [email protected] Tel: (780) 474-2415 Facebook: Oneil Carlier Twitter: @AlbertaAg & @oneilcarlier Contact page: CLICK HERE Alberta Ministry of Environment and Parks Alberta Minister of Environment and Parks (AEP) Shannon Phillips Shannon Phillips Alberta Environment and Parks Main Floor, Great West Life Building 9920 108 Street Edmonton Alberta Canada T5K 2M4 Tel: 310-ESRD (3773) Toll Free: 1-877-944-0313 Fax: 780 427-4407 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @AENV_SRD Facebook: Shannon Phillips |
STRYCHNINE RENEWAL LINKS:
This is rather interesting - Health Canada Incident Reports on Strychnine that prove it has harmed domestic animals/pets and humans.
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YOUR MLA
Not sure who your MLA is? Find out HERE.
You can also call your MLA's office. If your call to your MLA is long distance, please dial 310-0000 then the area code and the phone number you would like to reach in order to receive toll free access.
June 8, 2016
DRAFT CARIBOU RANGE PLAN SURVEY - PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ON THE SURVEY BY AUGUST 5, 2016!
Background: The Government of Alberta has released it's Alberta Caribou Plans. We are mostly concerned about the Little Smoky – A La Peche (LS-ALP) caribou plans and the GoA has released a draft plan on these regions and is seeking public input.
Now is the chance for you to have your say. If you are really interested in seeing change then commit to reading the Alberta Government's newly released Caribou Recovery Plan and making comments on the 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.
"Wolf management in relation to Alberta’s threatened woodland caribou is enabled by Alberta’s Woodland Caribou Recovery Plan, Woodland Caribou Policy for Alberta, and the Management Plan for Wolves in Alberta. Wolf populations are abundant and widely distributed across provincial forested lands.
The Government of Alberta will continue its existing wolf population management program in and adjacent to the Little Smoky and A La Peche Caribou Ranges. Alberta will engage local Indigenous communities in dialogue on traditional knowledge supports, and opportunities for communities to support predator management efforts.
Alberta’s goal for wolf management will be to annually reduce and maintain wolf populations to levels which enable caribou population persistence, by achieving population stability or growth."
It's now or never. This is your chance. Please comment on the survey, share this with family and friends and ask them to comment as well.
COMMENT HERE: SURVEY
More Information on the released plans and things to consider:
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.
“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.”
“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?
Here are some of our thoughts on the proposed plan and things you may want to consider prior to imputing your comments on the plan:
1 - There seemed to be no public knowledge this report was being prepared other than the people, municipalities, industry groups, First Nations & other organizations that were contacted in the preparation of the report.
Mr. Denhoff did contact more stakeholders than the previous government had engaged with which the 2 notable additions were the FN & ENGO’s. That is important.
2 - One good development (if carried through) is the FN concern about the use of poison on wolves & for this practice to stop. Alberta is the only jurisdiction in Canada where the use of poison as predator control is still practiced.
3 - One major concern we have about the report, is the vast importance the GoA will place on this report. They have positioned Eric Denhoff as an influential person so his report will get a great deal of credibility in government circles & outside government. Therefore, it is going to be very difficult to challenge the report & it’s findings now and in the future. What impact is this report going to have on the proposed update of the wolf conservation & management plan?
4 - The report concludes that wolf control (despite how odious) will be conducted for some time. The only academic, Denhoff consulted on this is Dr. Stan Boutin of UofA. Boutin is a well known proponent of wolf control to support caribou herd enhancement. He has stated that wolf control will need to be conducted for the next 40 years in the northern boreal forest to ensure the viability of caribou herds. So wolves will continue to be shot from helicopters, trapped year after year funded by taxpayers.
5 - Denhoff did not contact Paul Paquet or Samuel Wasser to get a divergent academic opinion on the viability of wolf control. Dr. Wasser did research for an energy company & his findings showed that, as we disturb the caribou through industrial activity, their hormone levels increase & cause problems with them breeding. Denhoff stated he read academic reports & studies - which we are sure were fed to him by the AEP (such as the Hervieux report which has been thrashed by notable scientists for its poor quality and unethical research practices not to mention the conclusions that were reached). We are concerned that the AEP is going to control that process for Denhoff so he can only reach certain conclusions that they support.
6 - Dr. Boutin & his students & colleagues at UofA are strong adherents to the biological theory of apparent competition. This theory states that where this is an increase in one prey species, it can cause the increased predation on that species & adjacent species as well. When the moose & deer population increases then the wolf population increases & so does the predation on them. This increase in predation will also show up in increased predation by wolves on caribou. Historically, caribou have avoided moose & deer because they are aware the wolves follow these species.
Unfortunately, caribou are doomed. Most caribou scientists feel that climate change will impact this species the most of any ungulate species & they maybe extinct by 2050. Caribou are not an adaptable species so as their environment quickly changes they cannot adapt quick enough or at all. As the Mountain Pine Beetle destroys the forest, it destroys the caribou food & they have a selective diet. The destroyed trees will mean reduced cover for them to hide in away from predators. Also with winters getting warmer, deer are migrating much further up north which means more food for wolves. For these reasons & others, wolf control will not work & yes, this large caribou enclosure may be the only way caribou will survive - managed caribou farms.
7 - Concerns regarding the fenced in caribou pens. Caribou are incredibly sensitive animals that we cannot see “penning” being successful. Sadly it seems that the way to save wolves from slaughter will be for the caribou to die and indeed they will. Too many scientists have weighed in and agreed that this species is doomed.
8 - The Caribou Interpretative Centre needs to have a very balanced presentation about wolves & caribou and not a negative wolf bias.
9 - The report states trapping has not had the desired effect of radically reducing the wolf population. Placing more snares and traps (if that were to be the case) are likely just going to trap other species like cougars, bears, yes & even caribou. Wolves are going to survive despite this very concerted effort to eradicate them. Wolves will become even more wary of humans, produce more as the effort to reduce their numbers increases and will target the increased deer & moose population because of climate change. We find it frustrating that governmental & industry & other associations continue to target the wolf as the scapegoat for all the problems associated with humans. A report done by Dr. Sam Wasser's shows how increased human activity in caribou habitat will be counter-productive to recovery. It is imperative to keep ATV's out of these areas as well as further industrial activity.
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.
“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.”
“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?
Here are some of our thoughts on the proposed plan and things you may want to consider prior to imputing your comments on the plan:
1 - There seemed to be no public knowledge this report was being prepared other than the people, municipalities, industry groups, First Nations & other organizations that were contacted in the preparation of the report.
Mr. Denhoff did contact more stakeholders than the previous government had engaged with which the 2 notable additions were the FN & ENGO’s. That is important.
2 - One good development (if carried through) is the FN concern about the use of poison on wolves & for this practice to stop. Alberta is the only jurisdiction in Canada where the use of poison as predator control is still practiced.
3 - One major concern we have about the report, is the vast importance the GoA will place on this report. They have positioned Eric Denhoff as an influential person so his report will get a great deal of credibility in government circles & outside government. Therefore, it is going to be very difficult to challenge the report & it’s findings now and in the future. What impact is this report going to have on the proposed update of the wolf conservation & management plan?
4 - The report concludes that wolf control (despite how odious) will be conducted for some time. The only academic, Denhoff consulted on this is Dr. Stan Boutin of UofA. Boutin is a well known proponent of wolf control to support caribou herd enhancement. He has stated that wolf control will need to be conducted for the next 40 years in the northern boreal forest to ensure the viability of caribou herds. So wolves will continue to be shot from helicopters, trapped year after year funded by taxpayers.
5 - Denhoff did not contact Paul Paquet or Samuel Wasser to get a divergent academic opinion on the viability of wolf control. Dr. Wasser did research for an energy company & his findings showed that, as we disturb the caribou through industrial activity, their hormone levels increase & cause problems with them breeding. Denhoff stated he read academic reports & studies - which we are sure were fed to him by the AEP (such as the Hervieux report which has been thrashed by notable scientists for its poor quality and unethical research practices not to mention the conclusions that were reached). We are concerned that the AEP is going to control that process for Denhoff so he can only reach certain conclusions that they support.
6 - Dr. Boutin & his students & colleagues at UofA are strong adherents to the biological theory of apparent competition. This theory states that where this is an increase in one prey species, it can cause the increased predation on that species & adjacent species as well. When the moose & deer population increases then the wolf population increases & so does the predation on them. This increase in predation will also show up in increased predation by wolves on caribou. Historically, caribou have avoided moose & deer because they are aware the wolves follow these species.
Unfortunately, caribou are doomed. Most caribou scientists feel that climate change will impact this species the most of any ungulate species & they maybe extinct by 2050. Caribou are not an adaptable species so as their environment quickly changes they cannot adapt quick enough or at all. As the Mountain Pine Beetle destroys the forest, it destroys the caribou food & they have a selective diet. The destroyed trees will mean reduced cover for them to hide in away from predators. Also with winters getting warmer, deer are migrating much further up north which means more food for wolves. For these reasons & others, wolf control will not work & yes, this large caribou enclosure may be the only way caribou will survive - managed caribou farms.
7 - Concerns regarding the fenced in caribou pens. Caribou are incredibly sensitive animals that we cannot see “penning” being successful. Sadly it seems that the way to save wolves from slaughter will be for the caribou to die and indeed they will. Too many scientists have weighed in and agreed that this species is doomed.
8 - The Caribou Interpretative Centre needs to have a very balanced presentation about wolves & caribou and not a negative wolf bias.
9 - The report states trapping has not had the desired effect of radically reducing the wolf population. Placing more snares and traps (if that were to be the case) are likely just going to trap other species like cougars, bears, yes & even caribou. Wolves are going to survive despite this very concerted effort to eradicate them. Wolves will become even more wary of humans, produce more as the effort to reduce their numbers increases and will target the increased deer & moose population because of climate change. We find it frustrating that governmental & industry & other associations continue to target the wolf as the scapegoat for all the problems associated with humans. A report done by Dr. Sam Wasser's shows how increased human activity in caribou habitat will be counter-productive to recovery. It is imperative to keep ATV's out of these areas as well as further industrial activity.
READ THE ARTICLE HERE: Alberta's wolf cull to continue as it scrambles to save caribou
Another Article Here: Alberta plans to add 1.8 million hectares of protected range for woodland caribou
Read the News Release by the Alberta Wilderness Association HERE
Read Denhoff's Report below:
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