Coexisting with Wildlife

There are three species of bears in North America, all of which have their largest numbers in Canada (and all of which are prone to hunting): American black bears, polar bears, and North American brown (“grizzly”) bears. Born Free USA serves on a conflict resolution committee to lessen human/wildlife conflict, and writes letters and meets with Ontario officials to discourage bear hunting. In 1999, we were part of a successful effort to stop spring hunts of black bears (though the practice has since returned). We also work to stop the trade in black bear gall bladders and other bear parts, end the use of dogs to hunt bears, direct misinformation that’s promoted by the pro-hunting industry, and network with the public to educate people about prevention of human/bear conflict. In 2018, we were part of a successful effort to stop the trophy hunting of grizzly bears in British Columbia.

Though the risks posed by coyotes to humans are statistically minimal, coyotes are relentlessly assaulted with traps, guns, and poisons. These intelligent predators are subject to extreme culling: tens of thousands of coyotes killed at a time. Born Free USA has successfully stopped municipal culling, including in Toronto, by providing crucial species information, meeting with councilors, collaborating with other organizations, reviewing a coyote manual, and presenting technical papers to support our perspective.

Humans often claim that there are “too many deer,” which leads to the iconic white-tailed deer falling victim to culling. In western Canada, we fight against the lethal culling of mule deer, a species in decline. Born Free USA has stopped or prevented these culls in several communities in British Columbia by meeting with police and government officials; providing information for meetings; and helping to produce a scientific report. This has forced culling into much smaller pockets. In addition, in 2009, we prevented a proposed bow-and-arrow cull of deer in Sifton Bog, Ontario. We are currently exploring other non-lethal alternatives to culling.

In 2015, our Canadian representative visited the Oak Bay region, addressed city council concerning deer culling, conducted his own survey of the situation in every section of the municipality, co-authored a 20-page report indicating why lethal culling was harmful, and explored and reported upon alternatives to lethal culling. He co-authored an assessment and helped produce a technical paper that highlighted the inadequacies of lethal culling. Further, he is part of an ongoing coalition of British Columbia activists fighting against deer culls both in Oak Bay and in the province’s interior.

Born Free USA successfully prevented the culling of horses on Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Born Free USA successfully prevented all lethal culling of mute swans across Canada.

Hundreds of thousands of seals are killed in Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt for their meat, skins (for leather or fur), fat, oil, and even penises (sold as an aphrodisiac) – despite a very small Canadian market for seal products. Born Free USA’s Canadian representative serves on a conflict resolution committee for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), which works to resolve human/wildlife conflict through non-lethal means, including for seals. Our Canadian office also met with numerous councils to assist in writing bylaws to protect these wild animals; wrote letters to officials to help prevent killing of gray seals around Canada, as well as letters to Chinese officials, urging them not to open markets for seal products in Asia; and discussed the issues with biologists and the public. We were also part of a successful effort to stop one cull of grey seals, and prevent another, on Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia.

In 2017, Born Free USA was part of a successful effort to convince the Canadian government to protect snapping turtles from hunting. To aid with the campaign, our Canadian representative wrote letters to government officials.

Wolves are continually scapegoated and persecuted for declines in “game” species, and efforts to protect them endure pushback from the agricultural, hunting, and trapping communities. Born Free USA is on a conflict resolution committee to reduce these issues. We also write letters, including a sign-on letter as a response to a provincial call for comment, to support a plan to protect wolves in no-hunting and no-trapping zones, and to increase the size of the zones. Learn more about wolves here.