Our open letter to Saskatchewan Minister of Environment Herb Cox

Dear Minister Cox,

Many residents of Saskatchewan have contacted our organization – The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals – regarding a beaver derby currently taking place in your province.

Killing contests such as this are without ethical or ecological merit and can be extremely damaging to ecosystems. While organizers may claim they are merely capitalizing on an existing, legal hunt, the promotional aspect of contests encourages a higher harvest, and less focus on conservation measures that should be implicit in any wildlife management program.

We acknowledge that many rural municipalities and landowners may struggle with the damage beavers can cause to infrastructure or property. However, we also know that sustainable, non-lethal solutions exist to prevent such damage and allow beavers to continue contributing their incredible ecological benefits to their habitats. We have provided these in-field solutions – a combination of flow devices and tree wrapping – to numerous municipalities and landowners across Canada. We’ve also assisted in training municipalities to install such devices themselves.

We would be happy to have a representative meet with you or your office regarding non-lethal solutions available to landowners and rural municipalities.

Beavers and their dams have great environmental benefits, including reduction of nitrogen levels, reduction of droughts through increased ground water availability, and creation of invaluable wetland habitats.

We and our 50,000-plus supporters across Canada are asking that you take steps to end wildlife killing contests in Saskatchewan. They are ethically and ecologically devoid, and result in a great deal of suffering of animals and environmental degradation.

Sincerely,