Bear Spirit Rising - A Community Reaches Out
Council of the Haida Nation Resolution
RESOLUTION 95-01-HOA13 • RECREATIONAL HUNTING OF BLACK BEAR ON HAIDA GWAII
WHEREAS many black bear are killed each year on Haida Gwaii by recreational hunters; and
WHEREAS the killing of these black bear is wasteful and contrary to Haida ethics;
BE IT RESOLVED that the 1995 House of Assembly directs the Council of the Haida Nation to act to halt the recreational killing of black bear on HaidaGwaii
Haida Gwaii, [Queen Charlotte Islands], home of the Haida First Nation, is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean 75 – 150 kms off the north coast of British Columbia [B.C.] Canada It is also home to an endemic sub-species of bear [ursus americanus carlottae] that is found nowhere else in the world and is North America’s largest Black Bear.
In spite of their vulnerability due to limited range, habitat destruction caused by industrial clear-cut logging and food depletion resulting from a decline in wild salmon stocks, our bears are being commercially hunted. And despite lack of study and comprehensive census the B.C. government has yet to set a limit on how many may be killed [harvested].
These large bears are an attractive prize for foreign trophy hunters and hunting activity has recently increased. More than 400 have been killed in the last 8 years alone. We are concerned that this unfortunate set of circumstances will lead to the endangerment and eventual extinction of this magnificent animal. A Council of the Haida Nation Resolution calls for an end to the recreational killing of bears on Haida Gwaii.
Exclusive non-resident hunting rights are held by the government licensed company, Prophet Muskwa-Pacific Outfitters. An example of their unethical and unprofessional hunting practices has been recorded and posted on www.youtube.com - taansaver . Taan is the Haida word for bear.
On the nearby B.C. mainland a similarly unique variety of bear, the kermode or “spirit bear” has been protected from hunting. We seek equal recognition and the same protection for the Haida Gwaii black bear. Please join us by encouraging the regulation of more humane treatment for these bears, and, to ensure their continued survival, the designation of “protected” status... Thank you.
For the Love of Bear
BEARS KILLED ON HAIDA GWAII SINCE 1976---1200+
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AIjV3lJ0Bs
Warning: this video is disturbing
CONTACT-
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, Office of Premier,
Parliament Buildings, Victoria, BC,Canada V5K 5J5
Ph. 250-356-2933 Email premier@gov.bc.ca
Guide Outfitters Assoc.of BC., PO Box 94675 Richmond, BC, Canada V6Y 4A4
Ph 604-278-2688 Fax 604-278-3440 Email: info@goabc.org
Guujaaw, President, Council of the Haida Nation, 133 Front Street, PO Box 98,
Skidegate Haida Gwaii, Canada, V0T1S1
E--Council of the Haida Nation www.haidanation.ca
Prophet Muskwa- Pacific Outfitters, Box 6677 Ft St John, BC. Canada V1J 4J1
250-789-3282 or 250-789-9494 E info@prophetmuskwa.com |
Animal Rights
