Letter to the Editor

I considered taking part in the recent photo ops to show my benevolence by feeding deer and elk to relieve the demise of their numbers. However, my political leanings are still wavering. As stated by our MLA, Kootenay Bill and others, “If we don’t feed them they will die.” However, they omitted, “So we can shoot them later.” The complete photo ops should include the subsequent gutting and skinning of the animals some months later.

A “representative” Wildlife Management Agency has been formed in B.C. to help bring the ungulates back, with some concerns that this might be controlled by those perpetrating the problem by demanding ever-increasing permit numbers. One published statement I found doubtful was, “If it were not for hunters there would be no wildlife to love.” It’s ironic that this motivated effort to restore ungulates for the killing outweighs the emphasis on leaving them and their natural predators alone.

Now, as is typical, the “bad” predators are held responsible for the demise of the “good” animals. The desire to shoot anything seems pervasive, so wolves, bear and cougars become the only “game” as a fun sport, believed to solve the problem. If the ungulate population is so drastically diminished, predator numbers also decline as they look for sustenance elsewhere.

What is needed are more impartial biologists to determine accurate annual game counts with appropriate hunting limits enforced for each species. Many factors such as weather, disease outbreaks, poaching, etc. that determine animal populations must be closely monitored. The main reason for diminished populations of the wild critters are, (A) the loss of natural habitat by logging and mining operations, as our B.C. economy is predominantly based on raping the wilderness (the B.C. government believes jobs are paramount and wilderness transient, the reverse being true) and (B) we Yahoos rumbling through the remaining wilderness, demanding access for all with our recreational snowmobiles, quads, motorized and non-motorized bikes and skiers, hikers, campers.

“We have seen the enemy and it is us,” because by enjoying the wilderness we are messing it up. It is time for all of us to take responsibility for the injury we inflict on natural animals and plants, and do more than attempt to right that by feeding a few animals. I may consider going “Green” because they have nothing to lose and everything to gain, whereas our current leaders have much to, hopefully, lose.

Jack Loeppky,

Cranbrook

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