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Alberta Environment and Parks is adding to regulations bear baiting, trap baiting, and the use of dogs to hunt cougars and wild birds – unethical practices that aren’t acceptable in Canada in 2022.
The government agency released its directives in mid-September and are effective September 15. Baiting is the practice of using food sources, often anthropogenic (human made), to attract animals to a specific location for the purposes of killing them. This practice can drastically alter the behaviour of animals, teach them to expect food from humans or human places, and lead to significant harm for people and wildlife alike.
The use of dogs to hunt cougars or other wildlife is also a significant risk. Dogs, even when trained, can harass, harm, or kill non-target animals; when their quarry is cornered, the dogs can cause significant, disturbing injuries. Animals who may be harassed by dogs could respond poorly to seeing any dogs in the future through association, creating potential negative encounters with people.
The Fur-Bearers opposes these unethical practices that put people, animals, and ecosystems at risk, and is calling on Minister of Environment and Parks Whitney Issik to overturn them.
Take Action
Use our one-click form below to send a letter to your Alberta MLA and Minister Issik. You can also write a letter to the Minister for the most direct impact (aep.minister@gov.ab.ca).
Consider using these points:
- Baiting of traps and for bears will lead to consequences such as a drastic change in animal behaviour, food conditioning, and non-target species being injured or killed.
- Messages of not feeding bears are of the utmost importance to protect people, wildlife, and ecosystems, making this policy counterintuitive and dangerous.
- Dogs can cause significant harm to target and non-target species alike, and put others at risk.
- Governments are to hold wildlife in trust for all members of the public, not the few consumptive users who want these changes. Implementing special interest group policy over the best interests of wildlife, ecosystems and the general public is a betrayal of this trust.
- End these policies and follow ethical, humane science in creating future policies.
Writing tips:
- Always be polite, respectful and straight-forward. Threatening, violent, or abusive language is not tolerated.
- Stay on message. It’s easy to incorporate many other issues when communicating on this type of subject matter, but staying on point will mean your point is well heard and documented.
- Let us know if you hear back from MLAs by forwarding correspondence to info@TheFurBearers.com.
