Since mother bears will…

Since mother bears will sometimes be away from their cubs for a short time, there is a strong chance that a number of mothers may be shot and killed leaving cubs without mothers. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be anything in the proposal as to what would be done to support cubs in the cases where their mothers have been accidentally shot. If a mother dies, there is a strong likelihood the cubs will not survive which is counterintuitive to what the hunting community would want. According to a paper by Ken Morrison a former wildlife specialist with the OMNR, acknowledges orphaning when he states, “70% of cubs orphaned during spring seasons died before one year of age” (Status of Black Bears Harvested in Wildlife Management Units 39, 41 and 42, Ken Morrison, Wildlife Specialist, OMNR, October 1996, pg 7).

In addition, to the cruelty and harm that a spring bear hunt does to the population, the report below goes on to highlight the significant damage that is done to the environment during the spring.

Lastly, is there really a need for a Spring Bear hunt when there are already valid concerns by indigenous communities about diminishing populations in many areas.