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"Nobody made a greater mistake
than he who did nothing
because he could only do a little." - Edmond
Burke
Ask your Government to choose Non-lethal Alternatives!
On average, 961 black bears and 51 grizzlies are destroyed by Conservation Officers in the province of B.C. every year because they were considered a 'nuisance'.
It is no longer acceptable to destroy the problems we create. So called 'problem' bears are not born. They are the product of human carelessness and indifference. We must first take responsibility by not attracting bears into our backyards.
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Bears that come into frequent contact with people
are often destroyed, not for what they have done, but for what
people are afraid they might do. Very few bears are destroyed
because of an actual threat to human safety or property.
Unless the people of British Columbia DEMAND
CHANGE, governments will continue with the status quo - DESTRUCTION
of our wildlife. Conservation Officers are constrained by archaic
policies of wildlife management that have no scientific basis.
Bears should not be destroyed unless they pose
a clear and immediate threat to human safety. Garbage conditioning,
human habituation, or property damage should not command the death
sentence.
Bears can be taught the limits of unacceptable
behaviour by reinstilling their natural desire to avoid humans,
through negative conditioning. Non-lethal Wildlife Management
uses cutting-edge techniques to correct 'problem' animal behaviour
without destroying the animal. By using an arsenal of rubber bullets,
pyrotechnics and bear pepper spray, 'problem' bears are taught to stay
away from people and non-natural food sources.
"A man is
ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him, that of plants
and animals as that of his fellow men, and when he devotes himself
helpfully to all life that is in need of help."
- Albert Schweitzer- at his death
Write, phone or fax the Minister. Let them know
that destroying wildlife is an unacceptable solution.
Honourable Barry Penner
Minister of Environment
Room 337, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, BC V8V 1X4
Phone: (250) 387-1187 Fax: (250) 387-1356 email: env.minister@gov.bc.ca
Copy the Director of Enforcement on correspondence:
Mark Hayden, Director / Chief Conservation Officer
Enforcement Program / Conservation Officer Service, Ministry of
Environment
P.O. Box 9338 Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, BC V8W 9M1
Phone: (250) 952-4852 Fax: (250) 952-4874 email: Mark.Hayden@gov.bc.ca
Copy the Editor of the Paper (see "Letters
to the editor are a powerful tool!")
Start a Petition and send it to the Minister
of Environment (see Tips
for Organizing Petitions)
Let your local Government, Conservation Officer
Service and Police know you want them to choose non-lethal alternatives.
Help your community become 'Bear Smart'. Contact
the Bear Smart Community Coordinator for more information.
Bear Smart Community Coordinator
Ministry of Environment
P.O. Box 4400, Station Main, Merritt, BC V1K 1B8
Phone: (250) 378-8492 Fax: (250) 378- 8372 email: MikeBadry@gov.bc.ca
Thank the Whistler RCMP and Bylaw Enforcement
for being the first police force in Canada to adopt non-lethal
tactics.
S/Sgt. S.N. McPhail, NCO-in-Charge Whistler Detachment
4315 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC V0N 1B4
Phone: (604) 905-1950 Fax: (604) 905-1961 email: norm.mcphail@rcmp-grc-gc.ca
Write the BC RMCP and ask them to expand their
successful non-lethal program throughout the province. Don't forget
to thank them for adopting the pilot program in Whistler and saving
bear's lives.
Assistant Commissioner Bev Busson, Commanding Officer, RCMP "E"
Division
657 West 37th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1K6
Phone: (604) 264-3111 Fax: (604) 264-3196
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