I am very concerned about…

I am very concerned about reinstating the spring black bear hunt.

This again puts bear cubs at risk if their mothers are killed at this critical time in their development. Killing the mother threatens cubs left in trees for safety when the mother looks for food. They will slowly starve to death or be eaten by predators. Bears have low reproduction rates. The survival of adult females is vital for survival of the species. Cubs that are born must be able to reach maturity.

Another reason people advocate the hunt is the ridiculous assertion that it improves human safety by reducing the number of bears. Humans need to take responsibility for leaving out their garbage in ways that bears can access. This is what causes bears to return to human areas, not bears' aggression.

How can the government simultaneously assert that the population of black bears in the Saugeen-Bruce Peninsula needs to be protected and allow the hunting and trapping of these bears in that region for one week in the spring each ear. This makes no sense.

There is even no published evidence that the spring bear hunt will be economically valuable despite the government's assertion that it will be economically neutral or positive. All I can conclude from this is that individuals wanting the hunt have some kind of powerful lobby that undercuts all rational reasons for continuing the ban on the spring bear hunt. As an Ontarian with concerns about the well-being of all species, in this case black bears, I request that the ban on the spring bear hunt continue.