I am solidly opposed to a…

I am solidly opposed to a permanent spring bear hunt. In the Spring, mother bears leave their little ones in the den or in hiding while out foraging. I was told by a bear hunting lodge owner that the majority of hunters cannot tell the difference between male and female bears. Even though it was a financial loss for him, he was opposed to the spring bear hunt because of the likely occurrence of cubs being left in the woods to starve to death.

The livelihood of a handful of hunting lodges does not outweigh the kind of suffering that this hunt would perpetrate on the cubs. Our wildlife is already facing challenges from climate change and adverse effects of development. We should be thinking of ways to protect our wildlife and wild places instead of destroying them further.

If this proposal goes through, is the Provincial Government or the bear hunting lodges ready to fund the two years of costs of caring for the orphaned cubs that are lucky enough to find their way to a rehabilitation centre like "Bear with Us"?

Eco tourism is the wiser choice. People from around the world would pay to view our wildlife and wild places. Please reconsider this poorly thought out proposal.