Today, the wildlife protection group, Big Wildlife, condemned Washington officials for continuing the state's black bear hunt, which runs from August to mid-November through most of Washington. The wildlife advocates said trophy hunting of bears is scientifically indefensible, unethical, and cruel and urged the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to end bear hunting altogether. According to WDFW records, last year more than 1,500 bears were legally killed by hunters in Washington, with nearly 500 bears killed in the North Cascades. The WDFW also holds spring bear hunts in targeted areas of the state. (Click here to review WDFW bear hunt data.) Over the weekend Big Wildlife urged California and Oregon to halt their states' annual bear hunts as well. An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 bears are legally hunted in the US each year, while an unknown number are also illegally poached.
"Bear hunting is bad news for bears. Instead of letting trophy hunters turn these magnificent animals into throw rugs by the fireplace or a head on the wall, state officials should provide vigorous protections for bears," said Brian Vincent, Communications Director with Big Wildlife, an international wildlife advocacy organization based in Williams, Oregon.
Big Wildlife said it opposed bear hunting for a number of reasons:
· The WDFW has failed to assess the impacts of poaching. Illegal killing of bears has increased nationwide, fueled by a booming international market, for bear parts, especially bear gallbladders used in traditional Asian medicine and bear paws, considered a delicacy in soup. Bear gallbladders can go for $5,000 a pound, an enticing price that has spurred bear poaching across the US. Last year, the ringleader of a poaching gang that dubbed itself "Kill 'Em All Boyz" claimed to have illegally killed 100 elk, at least a dozen bears, and more than 50 cougars and bobcats, in a years-long spree extending to Oregon, Idaho, and Southwest Washington.
· Hunting black bears is cruel, unethical, and environmentally harmful. In addition to a general fall hunt, the WDFW holds spring bear hunts from April 15-May 31. Killing bears in the spring inevitably leads to orphaned cubs, who are still nursing at the time. These cubs, unable to survive on their own, are left to starve to death or be killed by predators. Shockingly, there are no legal prohibitions on killing bears with cubs in Washington. According to WDFW hunting regulations, hunters are merely "urged to not shoot a sow with cubs. Sows may be accompanied by small cubs in the Spring (10-15 lbs) that tend to lag behind when traveling. A sow's teats will be obviously distended, so please observe and be patient before shooting." (See page 49 of WDFW big "game" hunting regulations.) Spring bear hunts are also conducted in some areas of Washington as part of a pilot program "to reduce black bear damage to trees." In addition, Washington permits bow hunting of bears, a particularly cruel practice that produces an unacceptably high wounding rate. Finally, Big Wildlife said legal hunting of black bears puts Washington's imperiled grizzly bear population at risk since some hunters may mistake a grizzly for a black bear.
· Hunting puts additional pressures on bears, who are facing a host of threats from poaching, habitat fragmentation and destruction, human encroachment into wildlife areas, aggressive government lethal control programs, and climate change.
· Hunting of bears ignores the ecological value of these animals. Bears often scavenge for food, playing an important role in recycling carrion. Along salmon spawning streams, bear scat and the remains of fish carried into the woods contribute to the nutrient cycle in old-growth forest.
"Hunting, along with a host of other threats, has made life unbearable for bears," said Vincent. "Hunting bears isn't 'sport.' It is cold-blooded killing of one of Nature's most majestic animals." Vincent said.
In the past, Big Wildlife has taken on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, as well as Canadian officials, for promoting grizzly bear hunting. Each year, an average of nearly 1,500 brown and grizzly bears are killed by hunters in Alaska. In British Columbia, a record 430 grizzlies were killed by hunters last year. The wildlife group has also urged the online auction company, eBay, to stop posting sales of trophy hunts of grizzly and black bears, leopards, lions, cougars, coyotes, and other predators.
For more information go to Big Wildlife.
Also see:
Los Angeles Times, California bear hunters to open season Saturday amid usual opposition
Seattle PI, Group: Stop Washington Bear Hunt