Born Free USA stands against trophy hunting anywhere and everywhere it takes place. That is why we oppose the Yukon Territory’s spring grizzly bear hunt. Spring bear hunting — which Born Free USA has spoken out against in Ontario, where a spring hunt on black bears was recently reinstated — risks leaving orphaned cubs, dependent on their mothers, to die of stress, hunger, or predation. And, while hunters may be restricted only to shooting males, an absence of cubs does not always mean that a lone bear in spring is a male, and eager hunters too often make mistakes.
In addition to the suffering that the hunt will cause bears and their cubs, the planned hunt is also a threat to the overall well-being of Yukon’s environment and bear population. Apex predators like grizzlies are important to ecosystem management and removing large numbers can have devastating consequences for the entire web of life. Grizzly bears are also slow to reproduce, and thus highly vulnerable to endangerment. In fact, the grizzly bear is already listed as a species of special concern by the Committee on Species of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
Born Free USA is not alone in opposing this hunt. Local groups, like Grizzly Bear Protection Yukon, whose members live in Yukon Territory and have deep knowledge of the bears, are also speaking out. Sadly, all of these concerns, and the opposition of local groups, are seemingly of little importance to the Yukon government.
We Need You to Take Action for Grizzlies!
Please contact the Honourable Pauline Frost, Minister of the Environment, via email (Pauline.Frost@yukon.ca) and by phone (867-393-7467) to express you opposition to the hunt and ask her to end it.
Here is a sample script you can use when writing or calling:
“My name is [name] and I am contacting Minister Frost to express my opposition to Yukon Territory’s spring grizzly bear hunt. Not only will the hunt cause great suffering to bears and their cubs, grizzlies are slow to reproduce and are highly vulnerable to endangerment and should not be hunted. Please stop the hunt!”
Grizzly bears need to be alive and caring for their cubs, not mounted in some den, staring lifelessly at nothing through eyes made of glass.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Barry
