Hooray for Ontario Liberals!

Victory! Canadian Bears Get Early Holiday Present

(Toronto - December 17, 2003) The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) today thanked new Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty for his support of an IFAW-led campaign and for keeping his pledge to maintaining the 1999 ban on spring black bear hunting in the province of Ontario.

Prior to the ban, Ontario had the largest and among the cruelest black bear hunts in the world. Every spring, hunters killed some 4,000 bears, ambushing them at baited stands or running them down with hounds. Tragically, one-third of the victims were female, leaving hundreds of orphaned cubs to starve.

Premier McGuinty stated in a letter to IFAW that, “Ontario Liberals support the end of the spring bear hunt in Ontario. We were deeply concerned that was leaving many cubs orphaned.”

The decision has widespread public support. This November, a 600-person survey by Ontario-based Oraclepoll Research found that 80 per cent of respondents stating an opinion support Premier McGuinty’s opposition to the resumption of the hunt.

“We congratulate Premier McGuinty for listening to the vast majority of Ontario residents who oppose practices like the spring bear hunt and acknowledging that ethical wildlife programs are the province’s responsibility,” IFAW Provincial Issues Coordinator Rob Sinclair said.

Thank you to all our supporters for helping to make victories like this one possible! For more information on all of our campaigns please email us at info-ca@ifaw.org or visit our website at www.ifaw.org .

[Witfull]

great news

[Cougra]

Congrats, I think the government did the right thing.

HOWEVER, I do still have concerns on how the bleackbear population up North is going to be regulated. I go hiking and camping in Northern Ontario often and I have noticed an increase in bear activity. The campsites now have to have thier garbage disposal incased in High Voltage Electric fences with locks and huge cement slabs on top of the bins every night to prevent the bears from breaking into the garbage bins (Saw that at Halliburton Forest last summer)

THis summer while Camping/Hiking on Manitoulin island we came across three bears (cow and two cubs) along side the cup and saucer trail.

North Bay dump site was declaired off limits to workers for three weeks this summer because the number of bears in the dump was deamed a dangerous situation. Again in North Bay, on three seperate occasions this spring children were sent home from schools because bears had wandered into the school playgrounds.

This summer, my mother and I were able to take photos of bears (they are a little burry) while we were sitting on her balcony.

Yes the spring bear hunt is barbaric, yes bears have a part to play in our environment and on the whole I don't have a problem with them. HOWEVER, I have seen more bears these past couple years then I saw in my entire life while living in NOrthren ONtario. These are not stories, they are actual events and are common in all the smaller communities of Northren Ontario. THere needs to be a more humane way of co-habitating with bears. Here in Southren Ontario where the vast majority of people live we don't have to contend with the issue head on so it gets ignored and the people who come in close contact with these bears are rightfully concerned.

Please don't get me wrong, I support the decission to cancil spring bear hunts, I just think more needs to be done then stopping the hunting!!

PS. This picture is blurry because we were a little nervus and heading into the house!

[mwrager]

Let’s see, keep the bear population in check by hunting them or leave the bear population unchecked and have bears starve to death. You tell me which is barbaric?

[Witfull]

make it a fall hunt and sell a certain amount of tags,,limits what is needed.

[mwrager]

The limits need to be set by the bear population each year.

[Craig Manoukian]

The spring hunt is bad due to the orphaned cubs, but I agree completely that the bears must be controlled so as not to endanger humans unnecessarily. The wilderness is one thing as you take your chances, but playgounds are a different story.

[wooddood]

i think wit hit the nail on the head,thats what they do with deer populations in parts of indiana.

[Gina]

I think it's a shame that we have to kill our wildlife to keep it in check because, the humans population has grown so much but, I would rather see a animal shot than starved to death or deal with a slow and tragic death due to disease. I do think that the wildlife should be dealt with a certain times of the year though. Like witfull said regulate it like the deer. As far as wildlife goes, I am one of those people who put human emotion in the situation. I know I shouldn't but I do. So, I feel sorry for the animals. So, don't flame me hunters. I do realize that there is a need for it.

[Cougra]

We do have a fall bear hunt, and I believe that there are something like 8000 tags issued. These tags also start how many adult males, females and cubs can be killed at the time.

Not enough tags are issued. When the spring bear hunt was originally canceled the government increased the fall bear hunt tags issued by HALF of what they cancelled and so far have been unwilling to increase that amount. The animal rights activist groups (Mostly located in the south where there are NO bears because of human encroachment and hunting them out of their range a long time ago)are lobbying to cancel the Fall bear hunt as well. They don't understand the complete issue at hand or they dont seem to care, I personally can't figure out which one it is.

There are even programs in the area I grew up in, run by the Ministry of Natural Resources (government body again) to attempt to relocate some of these bears that hunt within city limits 1000's KM away, but these animals naturally wander far and wide in search of food. Most have been tracked returning to urban areas because they have learned that food is easier to obtain there.

JUPITER ... MUST ... STAY ... UNDER ... CONTROL

Rather than me debating the issue (because I will not do that again) let just tell you that buying a licence for the soul purpose of killing animals for pleasure is abhorrent. If we want to conserve our bear population (or deer or kangaroo or whatever) this culling should be done strictly by the government. Let them sell the meat, skin, gonads to make their money. Killing wildlife should be akin to working in an abattoir. No one wants to do it but it "has to be done". Slaughterhouse workers don't pay for the right to kill the animals.

[Montanareefer]

What I got out of all this reading was how many black bears you guys have up there? That really surprised me!

I am with witfull and should have a regulated hunt!

[mwrager]

Some people make the assumption that every hunter kills for the fun of it and does not use any of the animals. They are a few and only a few that do not use the animal to help sublimate the food that goes on their table. Hunting gives me the best excuse to be out in nature, just to listen to nature. Look at the trees, the ground, and the plants and yes the animals. I have shown this to my children, one a girl and one a boy. Before they just seen it as woods, something to look at as we drove by. Completely uneducated to the benefits of keeping it the woods safe for both animals and people. If we let the government take over harvesting the animals of the forest, it will just become one big farm. My dad work in a Slaughterhouse. I saw how they killed the animals that came in. It is not much different than hunting. And no they did not use 100% of the animal.

[BoomerD]

I've hesitated on jumping in on this. Kind of a touchy subject for many.
I'm not a strong advocate of either side. I DO believe in hunting for meat. If ya EAT whatchakill! I also agree that as unfortunate for the animals as is is, hunting is a viable method to control animal populations, to minimize the impact on the human population, and because of the lack of habitat & food supply. If ya like bears, go to the bears, don't want em in town with the kids do ya?
On the other hand, I'm COMPLETELY against hunting just for the trophy rack, or mount or whatever. I've kown many over the years who do that, and we just don't agree on this. Killing animals for the fun of killing & the trophy is wrong.
Just my $.02

[MINIATUS]

I too also thank the Premier for stopping the hunt, this coming from someone who use to enjoy hunting. I di not hunt for the sport but I do like the taste of Wild game. What turned me off was watching people shooting animals just for the parts or Anthlers if it was a Deer, then leave the rest to rot.
At least he has kept one promise, because he reneged on everything else.

MINIATUS