I am strongly opposed to the…

I am strongly opposed to the Ontario government’s desire to bring back the spring bear hunt.

Here a few points that are common knowlege, but need to be repeated in the face of this new proposal:

*) There is a high risk of orphaning bear cubs who would be left to die an inhumane and cruel death - cubs do not follow their mothers on food gathering trips early in spring, and hunter/trappers cannot determine a bear's gender until it is too late.

*) Hunting lobbies in Ontario purport that bears are responsible for the decline in moose populations - this is blatant "false news" as bears are primarily vegetarian/pescatarian.

*) There is also no evidence that spring bear hunt reduces human-bear conflict, according to the 2003 Nuisance Bear Review Committee (see link).

*) As there is already a legal fall hunting season, there is no excuse for bringing back the spring hunt. It should be banned and remain banned.

*) In the ERO posting it was noted there is a need to reduce black bear hunting on the Saugeen-Bruce Peninsula due to serious conservation concerns. Allowing any hunting of black bears on the Saugeen-Bruce Peninsula is irresponsible and contrary to the government’s duty to ensure the sustainability of the population now and into the future.

*) Finally, if you have children or grandchildren who are fans of bears and bear cubs, as a politician can you honestly look into their eyes, knowing that many cute bear cubs will painfully starve to death, and that you did nothing to stop that?

Hopefully the government of Ontario sees that the proposal for spring bear hunting is in contradiction to its duty to protect our natural resources, and will not follow through with the changes.