As part of a Freedom of Information Act request to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources, The Fur-Bearers unearthed a 2013 briefing note to Minister Steve Thomson that revealed this unsettling quote: “since 2003 there have been over 85 reports of pets being caught in traps (approximately 8 pets per year).”
The writer of the brief also noted that conservation officers estimate that number to be significantly higher.
Since 2011, municipalities such as Sechelt, Surrey, Nanaimo, and White Rock have asked the Ministry to allow them to ban or control trapping in their communities after pets or wild animals were severely injured or killed. They’ve turned to The Fur-Bearers for assistance, and we, too, have requested changes to policy, such as mandatory signage in areas where traps are set, identification tags on traps (with data restricted to provincial staff), and greater setbacks from multiuse trails.
The response we’ve received over the years has been the same: “policy review is ongoing.”
We have reported what we found in the briefing notes to the media, and are asking you to help us make change happen.
TAKE ACTION
Contact your MLA – the one who needs you to get re-elected – and tell them you expect them to demand change from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources. Tell them that the hundreds of thousands of pet owners in British Columbia demand change. And tell them that their job depends on it happening. You can find your MLA by clicking here.
Please forward any correspondence you receive from your MLA to us at [email protected]. If your MLA would like more information on trapping in British Columbia, we would be happy to take part in a sit down meeting with them.
