The end of the grizzly bear hunt in British Columbia that was announced today is an interesting note on the acceptance of bears by more and more people. https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2017FLNR0372-002065.
Deer sharing date mash
Seventy-eight percent of respondents in British Columbia wanted hunting of grizzly bears to end in British Columbia, and government officials are agreeing, saying the hunt is not in line with public values and that they want to promote the healthy grizzly bear viewing economy in B.C. and give everyone the tremendous opportunity to see these incredible animals in their natural habitat. This is a switch to the long-held line that hunting is needed to protect the public—and we are talking about grizzly bears here. The next hunt had been scheduled to open on April 1, 2018, which undoubtedly would have orphaned a number of grizzly cubs. The link above is to the full story and includes a beautiful picture of a grizzly in a beautiful setting.
We’ll see what happens next in British Columbia, but it is very interesting that such a lopsided majority were against the hunting of these feared animals.
Red-breasted nuthatchOut the window, chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches were coming for sunflower seeds, and deer were peacefully coming for date mash (except when the buck with the broken antler got selfish). Other deer shared blocks so peacefully that they were often bumping heads with the bumpee paying no attention.
A gray fox was almost touching noses with the deer last night, and the mink showed his welcome face on the third floor deck after a long absence.
The Black Bear Field Courses are three quarters full with 15 spots open yet.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center