This article contains images and details about wolf killings that may be shocking to some people.
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Since 2015, more than 1,900 wolves have been killed in B.C.
Radio-Canada
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The B.C. government spent more than $10 million on a controversial wolf cull launched in 2015, according to documents obtained by CBC through a freedom of information request.
The aerial wolf reduction program involves shooting wildlife from a helicopter. According to the province, this approach is the most effective and humane to reduce the wolf population in areas where threatened or at-risk caribou are found.
The province also confirms that the costs of the program amounted to exactly $10,174,900 between 2014 and April 25, 2023 She adds that these costs include the elimination of wolves and cougars, the costs of aircraft, subcontractors, equipment, fuel, lodging and other operational costs.
Since 2015, a total of 1,944 wolves have been killed, according to the British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Resources. In an email to CBC, the government maintains that predator reduction measures in 13 of the province's 54 caribou herds have helped stabilize or increase their populations.
Predator management is part of the provincial caribou recovery program which aims to revive the declining population of the animal. The plan also provides for habitat protection initiatives.
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To get a clearer picture of the killing of wolves in the province, CBC made a request for access to information from the Ministry of Wildlife Management. Waters, Lands and Resources.
The request: Obtain internal documents written between January 1, 2014 and April 25, 2023 that detail the death of each wolf under the provincial caribou recovery program. The request also included photos and videos of dead wolves.
The documents received include specific plans to cull wolves and capture caribou for monitoring purposes from January to March 2020 and February to March 2021 in areas with caribou herds in Tweedsmuir-Entiako, x27;Itcha-Ilgachuz and Quesnel Highland. Several pages chronicling wolf kills in unspecified regions during the winter months between December 2018 and mid-March 2023 are also included.
These documents tell us that helicopter shooters use semi-automatic rifles equipped with a red dot sight to kill wolves with precision, so that their death is quick. If the first shot is not fatal, others will follow in order to reach targeted areas to ensure the death of the animal.
A wolf killed as part of a provincial C.- program B.
Wolves will be observed visually at as close a distance as possible from a hovering helicopter for visual signs of movement (e.g. respiratory effort or movement) to confirm death before proceeding to stage following, can we read in the documents.
Any animal that is shot and not lying down will be followed until the shooter is able to kill it as quickly and humanely as possible.
A quote from Excerpt from documents obtained by CBC
< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">Once a pack is eliminated, at least half of the carcasses will be inspected to document the location of the shots and provide photos to the project manager and provincial veterinarian of wildlife, the documents indicate.
The government maintains that the notes are recorded by the ministry's professional biologists who implement and supervise field activities in certain treatment areas across the province.
The killing of wolves to conserve caribou herds raises serious concerns.
Attorney Rebeka Breder, who works with Pacific Wild, a group opposed to wolf culling, says she has major concerns [about how] wolves are culled. According to her, the documents claim that their slaughter is cruel.
It is simply illogical to believe that these slaughters result in immediate death without the slightest suffering , she said.
She thinks the helicopter shooters are too senior to confirm whether the animal died instantly or if he has bled out, especially in cases where the first shot does not pass through the brain or a vital organ.
The ministry said in an email that years of research has demonstrated that predator reduction is an effective short-term measure for reversing declines in caribou populations, and that its approach is based on science and principles. of wildlife management.
With information from Michelle Morton