"It's no longer socially acceptable to the vast majority of British Columbians to hunt grizzly bears," said Doug Donaldson, the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources.
The government estimates there are about 15,000 grizzlies in the province.
The province's environment and forests ministers announced the ban on Monday, saying they were acting on the basis of a program of consultation with stakeholder groups, the public and First Nations, most of whom recommended a ban to protect the bears.
The move follows, and effectively expands, an August commitment to end the trophy hunting of grizzly bears and stop all hunting of grizzly bears in the Great Bear Rainforest.
Mr. Donaldson told a news conference he did not expect that the continuing First Nations hunt would kill many bears, suggesting there are less than 100 hunters who use bears for food. He said about 250 bears were killed a year by resident and non-resident hunters.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs said he welcomed the ban because he supported an end to the "barbaric practice" of hunting the animals. He said few members of the First Nations community are involved in hunting the bears.
In response to a question from The Globe and Mail, the forests ministry said First Nations guides would not be able to facilitate access to grizzly bears for non-native hunters.
Mr. Donaldson said the government would look at transition measures for businesses affected by the ban, including easing businesses into the effort to observe grizzlies as opposed to hunting them, but provided no further details.
Joe Foy of the Wilderness Committee environmental group called the measure "tremendous news" that sets a global example. "This is worldwide news," Mr. Foy told reporters after the government announcement, declaring British Columbia one of the world's great hopes to hold onto the species.
"Some nations still allow trophy hunting for big beautiful creatures. This is a word out to the world that says times are changing and changing because so many creatures are on the decline. We've got to start to look out for them, not kill them for fun."
In remarks addressed to hunters, Mr. Donaldson said the NDP knows hunting is important to many British Columbians. "This is not the thin edge of the wedge," he said. "This is a specific species, an iconic species."
Existing penalties for illegally killing grizzly bears will be applied under the new status quo. Under the Wildlife Act, tickets are $345. In what the ministry described in a statement as more extreme cases, a first conviction in court can lead to a fine of up to $100,000 or a one-year jail sentence.
Source
The government estimates there are about 15,000 grizzlies in the province.
The province's environment and forests ministers announced the ban on Monday, saying they were acting on the basis of a program of consultation with stakeholder groups, the public and First Nations, most of whom recommended a ban to protect the bears.
The move follows, and effectively expands, an August commitment to end the trophy hunting of grizzly bears and stop all hunting of grizzly bears in the Great Bear Rainforest.
Mr. Donaldson told a news conference he did not expect that the continuing First Nations hunt would kill many bears, suggesting there are less than 100 hunters who use bears for food. He said about 250 bears were killed a year by resident and non-resident hunters.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs said he welcomed the ban because he supported an end to the "barbaric practice" of hunting the animals. He said few members of the First Nations community are involved in hunting the bears.
Photo credit: Defenders of Wildlife
Mr. Donaldson said the government would look at transition measures for businesses affected by the ban, including easing businesses into the effort to observe grizzlies as opposed to hunting them, but provided no further details.
Joe Foy of the Wilderness Committee environmental group called the measure "tremendous news" that sets a global example. "This is worldwide news," Mr. Foy told reporters after the government announcement, declaring British Columbia one of the world's great hopes to hold onto the species.
Photo credit Link
"Some nations still allow trophy hunting for big beautiful creatures. This is a word out to the world that says times are changing and changing because so many creatures are on the decline. We've got to start to look out for them, not kill them for fun."
In remarks addressed to hunters, Mr. Donaldson said the NDP knows hunting is important to many British Columbians. "This is not the thin edge of the wedge," he said. "This is a specific species, an iconic species."
Photo credit: devianart
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Round of applause to you all. Grizzly bears are amazing majestic creatures and deserve our respect not bullets. Now to let other countries realise this is unacceptable.
...fantastic news!...well done british columbia...we love you...;-)
Amazing news
Very good :)
Why must anyone be allowed to take the lives of these magnificent beings? Why must Indigenous peoples continue to reconcile themselves to such brutal and outworn customary atrocities? We humans are LONG overdue to leave the Dark Ages and join the 21st century with our thinking and our treatment of non-human beings, including these Grizzly Bears! Coexist!
These great beasts are not threatened nor endangered their populations actually increasing. Hunting is an effective game management tool to keep their populations in check at a safe and healthy level for the environment. Grizzly hunt and do the same for other game, man is just the same as other predators and a part of the great circle of life. It is bad science and socially unconscionable to think otherwise. Shame on B.C
Fantastic! What other creatures besides man hunts solely for pleasure?? Itis time humans started evolving forward and not backwards.
Hey Anonymous - Hunt humans please. They are definitely not endangered and zombies seem to enjoy their flesh. ''man is just the same as other predators and a part of the great circle of life'' - are you joking? I dare you to act that part and go hunting without weapons, pussy.
How long will Grizzlies killing humans be "socially acceptable"? It is going to happen more and more BECAUSE they aren't being hunted.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/bear-attack-mayo-two-dead-1.4922567
Hey Anonymous, whats wrong with grizzlies killing humans? Do you think your better and more important then them? 15000 grizzlies compared to 7 billion people. I don't mind if they kill a few humans dumb enough to get that close to them.
Great news.......
Yippee
What a fantastic piece of legislation!!! Good for you, British Columbia, you are caring, kind and sensible. How many tourists would come to your area if there was no wildlife? Brutal hunting practices are an abomination.
Good news indeed
Hey Anonymous - FUCK YOU ASSHOLE !
Bit too late if you ask me
Great news! How do you like the 21st century? Welcome out of the dark ages!
It's about time. The practice of bear baiting is not hunting & 99 percent only want the head as a trophy, wasting the rest. All just to compensate for having a small dick.
i am so glad they stopped trophy hunting and killing the beautiful bears. ty so much for eliminating it
I admire these great big hairy giants and always wondered, other than self defense, why would people want to shoot them, assuming they aren't being hunted for food. So given how these cowards like to brag about the bears they killed I thought it might be a great idea to keep up the grizzly bear hunt BUT with a small caveat. Hunters are not allowed to use any firearms or projectile weapons; they must only use a knife where the blade is slightly longer than the claws of a grizzly. Of course they can only hunt adult bears during the hunting season and are not allowed to hunt bears with cubs. So if any "brave" man feels he can take on a 900 lb wild grizzly with a 4 inch blade knife he'd be welcome to hunt as many as he can..... Also, since this has to be a fair "hunt" there will be no intervention by anyone, the hunter has to leave on his own after the bear encounter.... Happy Hunting!
"Some nations still allow trophy hunting for big beautiful creatures. This is a word out to the world that says times are changing and changing because so many creatures are on the decline. We've got to start to look out for them, not kill them for fun."
Time to treat the other citzens of BC with some respect. Great news!
Trophy hunting is one of the great evils of human invention. All creatures deserve the same rights, the same chance to live a complete life. I hope BC is also protecting the habitat of these noble animals. My salute to British Columbia!
well, Id have to say this sounds pretty stupid to me. Increase the potential for conflict between an apex predator and humans? Not too bright, but by all means we must signal our virtue by empathizing with the bear rather than the humans who will inevitably be mauled or killed. Its important these days to be a social virtue snob.
We have banished this egregiously cruel, unnecessary and unethical practice to the dusty pages of history.
Vivat!!!! God bless you!!! You are the example of the true Way to be part of the Nature!!!!
❤️��❤️
Bear is a one of the most important part of this Planet
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Dear Anonymous - the people of BC have been listened to by their government; your opinion is unnecessary.
"It's no longer socially acceptable" is a sad reason. It should be so much more than that. Trophy hunting is gratuitous violence that can justifiably be called murder. It is the kind of animal killing that most resembles murder - murder in the first degree. It is done with planning (premeditation) and without provocation or biological justification. The animals are entirely innocent creatures killed only for ego-gratification and fun. So. Basically, trophy hunting is a gratuitously violent act that often results in dismemberment and taking the head as a “trophy.” There are options to avoid conflict with humans. Pity no one cared enough before. Or bothered to listen.
When you get too many Grizzly Bears, ranchers will be paying for it with cattle loss, and human cost. Does that give you a warm fuzzy? Sure it does, because you don't live in their area...yet.
Great news!