© Alex ButterfieldIt made no sense for Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) to address ongoing declines in moose by blaming wolves, bears, and coyotes. But it did, posting on the Environmental Bill of Rights registry plans to increase the number of wolves and coyotes who could be killed year round.[teaserbreak]
The Minister, Bill Mauro, must have known that predators were not the problem (as was confirmed to my colleagues and me when we had a teleconference meeting with MNRF biologists earlier this year). Wolves will, at least, kill a moose under the right conditions, as they’ve done for thousands of years, without reducing the moose numbers—but coyotes don’t hunt and kill moose. You could exterminate the world’s population of coyotes and not see a .01% increase in moose. In fact, you could kill off all of the wolves and bears and still see moose declines if the main causes of the declines (including hunting, forestry, and encroachment) are not addressed.
We all dutifully commented with reports and letters in response to the posting (which, while mandated by law, has always been just a formality for the MNRF—its position impervious to either public opinion or the findings of its own scientists). Imagine our shock when the MNRF, for the first time I can recall, heeded overwhelming opposition from the public. Researchers were listened to and the proposal withdrawn.
On April 4, “After extensive public, stakeholder, and aboriginal engagement, and considering all comments received, the ministry has decided not to make changes to wolf and coyote hunting regulations,” MNRF spokeswoman Jolanta Kowalski said. “Hunters will still have to purchase a wolf/coyote game seal in Northern Ontario,” she added. “This ensures hunters across the province follow the same licensing system when hunting wolves.”
Later, the MNRF cut the number of moose hunting tags issued, reducing the number of moose who can be legally killed by provincially licensed hunters. First Nations hunters can continue to kill as many as they choose, under venerable treaty rights, and lack reporting mechanisms that would allow MNRF to better calculate what would be a “sustainable” take.
Against scientific advice, the spring bear hunt was reopened by Mauro’s predecessor. But, the MNRF, very close to the May 1 opening date, announced sudden changes in how many non-resident hunters could apply for permits.
Could Mauro be listening to conservation concerns?
Meanwhile, citing data from Freedom of Information inquiries, the Peaceful Parks Coalition has confirmed what science shows: that the spring hunt does not reduce conflicts with bears. “The police statistics for Sudbury region are stunning,” reported AnnaMaria Velestro of Peaceful Parks in a Toronto Star op-ed piece published April 26. “Between the years 2003 and 2013, bear calls into the Greater Sudbury Police Service ranged from 134 in 2003 to 137 in 2013 with the highest number of bear calls to police being 379 in 2009. After the spring bear hunt was introduced in 2014, calls to police regarding bear encounters rose to 535 and then went through the roof to 1,775 in 2015.”
The concern remains that females with cubs, emerging ravenous from hibernation, will be shot by mistake, leaving dependent cubs to die in the bush—collateral damage to a hunt that was never based on science or compassion.
As for moose: when any species is in decline, whatever the cause, hunting for sport should be utterly banned. Period. Full stop.
Keep wildlife in the wild,
Barry