9 Responses to Valley resident and coastal group outraged by wolf snaring

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   I question much of the facts in this article as there simply isn’t any. All I’m seeing is presumption and a spread of fear, maybe even some hate – So with me not being a Trapper, I asked one to take a look at this article and with his permission, I submit the following commentary on his behalf -Ifound it informative and enlightening, hope the viewers here do so also.

   “Snares built and set properly produce fast humane kills. There is a lot more to a snare than a coil of wire. First off it is cable not wire, combined with a one way locking device. Many even add kill springs to speed it up even more. They are not used to crush organs or cut off air flow but instead used to cut off blood flow to the brian. Also set with blocking, at the right height and loop size it minimizes non targets. This also is how you ensure a neck catch. There is a lot more to it than hanging a wire noose as they put it. Trappers even have the ability to use power snare which are driven by a large spring.

   I can honestly say I have not had a broken limb on an animal caught in a snare. If they did half of what is said above it would make snares a poor tool for trapping as in would result in fur damage reducing the value of pelts. This reason would be enough for most not to use them.

   We also have AIHTS agreement here in Canada where traps are tested to see if they meet human standards and if the trap does not meet standards, trappers cannot use it.

   That article is another example of using propaganda to get support from those who do not know or understand how trapping methods work”. end quote.

   I’ll like to add: BC is in dire need of predator control right now and is also something that has been done before – It is scientifically proved to work and will be something again needed in our future. What this measure does, is to ensure a healthy ballance of wildlife that also includes a Wolf population for generations to come.

   For as long as humans will depend on narural resources to satisfy our daily lives, our back-country will be altered and ecosystems will continue to be opened up for wildlife that would not be meshed to the extremes we’re seeing.

   Hence the purpose/need of sound, Science Based Wildlife Management.

   I get that some don’t like to accept those terms but they are what they are and it is our own fault from being dependant of our natural resources. In other words, our desires to live in luxury comes with a price and if it weren’t for sound Wildlife Management, the forests would have LONG been emptied by now.

   My peeve is parent’s that force their toddlers into beauty pagents… But that’s another issue.

   Cheers!
   Dean.
   Langley BC.

   Dean    March 20, 2013 at 12:17 am
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     Dean & RH, thank you for your educated and thoughtful responses. Sometimes people like to force an opinion when they know little of the subject. It is correct that there is no such thing as “leaving it to nature” anymore, since humans have a large impact on the planet. Like you said, if we want to maintain values, such as wolves, we need to manage them. I for one am glad that we still have ranches, large contiguous pieces of land – because the alternative is urban sprawl of city dwellers moving out to large expensive homes and fragmenting the rural landscapes. Some urbanites, such as Mr Hill, would do better to stay in the city than interfere with rural communities.

     JL    March 21, 2013 at 5:29 pm
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   As an American, I don’t know why wolf-snares and conibears are still allowed in Canada. They are banned in many states in the lower 48 since they don’t discriminate. Water-sets and tree-sets are much safer for dog-owners and to wildlife.

   And our Yellowstone wolves were captured using box-traps.

   Scottie    March 19, 2013 at 3:11 pm
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   Allot of bias in this article to one disconnected view. Wolves have increased significantly in the the EK and most of the province for what is worth. So large an increase infact that there is a notable decline in much of the wildlife they eat. While some may question that statement now when most of the ungulates are concentrated in the trench and visibility is high, these herds will disapate as spring comes on. Lack of natural prey increases wolf/ cattle conflict. If wolves are not reduced history has shown they will die from malnutrition and internal strife. Nature is cruel, more cruel than man. Curbing high populations and conflicts is science based wildlife management. In the past deer, elk and moose have been reduced to curb crop depredation, animal collisions, caribou competition, and habitat damage. It is very narrow minded to put wolves up on a pedistal above all these other important animals and lively hood of farmers and ranchers. Like it or not a reduction of wolves is needed. The wolves will always rebound, history has shown this also.

   RH    March 13, 2013 at 12:21 pm
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     As a fruit-farmer in the Valley, I am glad wolves are spreading. It means less deer are eating my crops. I noticed a significant drop in crop damage since the coyote- and wolf-population boomed. Deer population haven’t seem to have dropped, but they don’t come to my property anymore.

     Scottie    March 19, 2013 at 3:14 pm
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       Scottie, it is likely the boom in predators that has pushed the deer to the interface areas in the first place. The deer are also naturally attracted to the high food value of your fruit. If the deer are damaging your crops I would suggest a fence is in order long before being glad about the decrease of ungulates due to the a predator boom.

       RH    March 20, 2013 at 9:40 am
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   Like Brad Hill, Eknow has chosen to print information without all the facts. This is a really difficult issue, with no easy answers, and neither side is pretty or kind. The cattle have been maimed and killed on private land here and in several other locations. Wolves can cause huge suffering on the animals they attack, sometimes eating part of them and departing while the animal is still alive. If this were to happen to your beloved horse or cow, you may feel differently. A little research would show the difficulty of both sides of the issue. Wolves are not targeted indiscriminately; it is when they have caused a significant problem. Have a look at this link.
   http://polymontana.com/wolves-attack-cattle-and-pets/

   JL    March 13, 2013 at 9:54 am
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   I hope Mr. Hill sings off the same song sheet when a wildfire comes his way in the summer. He will most likely want gov’t fire fighters to save his rural home and property. But wait, that is “tax dollars” supporting that.

   Darryl    March 13, 2013 at 9:09 am
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   Another very silly decision by greedy frightened people!

   Gord Dobson    March 11, 2013 at 9:29 pm