I am writing concerning the…

I am writing concerning the proposed spring bear hunt. I am Full Professor of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the University of Toronto. I conduct research and teach university students about wildlife and their management. The killing of bears for sport and for presumed 'control' is unethical and illogical and contrary to modern management practices. Just as some still want to hunt elephants, rhinos, swans and other charismatic wildlife, there exists in Ontario a small percentage of society that has an outdated understanding of bear biology and is being manipulated by misinformation provided by hunting clubs and commercial interests. Bears are not a real threat nor a necessary disturbance and people are often surprised to learn that injuries in bathtubs or by cars in Ontario are magnitudes more likely than from a bear even when encountered in the wild. We do not outlaw or shoot bathtubs and cars. Moreover, people are surprised to learn that bears are sentient beings with feelings, experiencing pleasure and pain the same as, or analogous to, ourselves. Furthermore, people are surprised to realize how much pain and suffering is caused by hunting and that bears are wounded and certainly rarely die instantly from being shot. I've been involved as a professional with bears for 30 years and have grown up in Ontario with them in my front yard as a child, have encountered hundreds while on foot in the wild, read and study the scientific literature about wildlife, and of course design and teach our biodiversity and conservation courses and can say that the spring bear hunt is the wrong thing for us to do to these animals.