Majority of Registered Hunters in British Columbia Oppose the "Sport" Hunt

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Majority of Registered Hunters in British Columbia Oppose the "Sport" Hunt

International Network of Groups Call on B.C. Liberals to End the Trophy Hunt of Bears in The Great Rainforest.
VANCOUVER, B.C., Canada March 11, 2010 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- Today, a series of ads are being released in BC's major newspapers marking the countdown to the unpopular trophy hunt in the Great Bear Rainforest. Public poll results show that the "sport" hunt of bears is opposed by nearly 80% of British Columbians, as well as Coastal First Nations and a majority of registered hunters. The ads are endorsed by tourism businesses, local and international conservation groups and coastal First Nations representing 20 million people from over 40 countries.

British Columbia Bear Hunt

"Unless the BC government acts quickly grizzly bears are about to be killed in our parks and conservancy areas in the internationally celebrated Great Bear Rainforest," said Ian McAllister from BC-based Pacific Wild. "In the spectacular Kwatna river, just a few miles from where I live, four grizzlies were killed for trophy in 2009 - and two of them were females - what kind of sport involves killing female grizzly bears?"

Last week three B.C. environmental groups released a report showing that grizzly bears are at risk because of habitat destruction in the Great Bear Rainforest. They accuse the B.C. Liberals of failing to enforce sustainable logging practices.

Facts:

In 2001, Premier Gordon Campbell overturned a moratorium on the trophy hunting of grizzly bears. Since then, over 2,000 grizzly bears have been killed for sport in B.C.

The globally rare white Kermode bear is protected from hunting, but the black Kermode, that produces white offspring is subject to open season trophy hunting in over 98 percent of its natural range.

A 2009 Ipsos-Reid poll showed that nearly 80 percent of British Columbians are opposed to the trophy hunt of bears. Science, ethics and economics were given as reasons.

The trophy hunt threatens tourism-based bear viewing businesses, which generate considerably more revenue in B.C. than bear trophy hunting.

Coastal First Nations are opposed to the trophy hunt of bears in their traditional territories.

Contact:
Ian McAllister,
Pacific Wild
(250)957-2480
email: ian@pacificwild.org

This campaign is supported by:
Humane Society International/Canada
Humane Society of the United States
Humane Society
Wildlife Land Trust
Coastal First Nations
Greenpeace
Sierra Club BC
Western Canada Wilderness Committee
David Suzuki Foundation
The Spirit Bear Youth Coalition
Valhalla Wilderness Society
Bears Matter
Forest Ethics
Animal Rights Sweden
Freedom for Animals - Croatia
Brigitte Bardot Foundation - France
Franz Weber Foundation - Switzerland
Global Action in the Interest of Animals (GAIA) - Belgium
Fundacion para la Adopcion, Apadrinamiento y Defensa de los Animales (FAADA) - Spain
Four Paws (International)
Respect for Animals - UK
Commercial Bear Viewing Association of British Columbia
Robin Wood Canopy