Posted by justiceforbcgrizzlies on July 13, 2016 Trophy bear hunting is hard to talk about. It evokes really powerful emotions and quite frankly I would avoid it if I could. But I made a promise to the bears that I… Read More »The Lens of Choice by Justice for BC Grizzlies
To Comment and to view photos go to: http://www.straight.com/news/724881/martyn-brown-grisly-business-trophy-hunting-super-natural-british-columbia
Martyn Brown: The grisly business of trophy hunting in Super, Natural British Columbia
une 24th, 2016 at 3:40 PM
Martyn Brown is was the long-serving chief of staff to former premier Gordon Campbell.
Imagery abounds. Golden fields of swaying wheat. Lush green vineyards of plump, perfect grapes. Acres of apples, all red and delicious. Harvest: so suggestive of humans in harmony with the Earth.
So redolent of life.
So much more super and natural than, I don’t know—slaughter?—the word that more accurately describes British Columbia’s annual grizzly bear trophy hunt.
Actually, even that word isn’t quite accurate, for it connotes the killing of animals for food.
Grizzly bears—like black bears, cougars, wolves, lynxes, bobcats, and wolverines–are legally “harvested” without any expectation that their meat will be eaten by people.
On Apr 1, 2016, at 11:45 AM,
From: Bears Matter
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2016 10:33 AM
To: [email protected]
Dear Premier Clark,
Open Letter:
Today is the day that you and your government allow trophy hunters, both resident and non-resident, to stalk, wound, orphan and kill grizzlies and black bears just out of hibernation. Some of these bears will be male, at least 30% will be female and of those females some will be mother’s with tiny cubs who they will hide at the first whiff of trouble.
Premier Clark, you and your government are solely responsible for the killings, wounding and orphaning of our unsuspecting, innocent, majestic grizzlies found in their natural habitat. They will be eating sedge grasses, shell fish, shoots and roots etc. as they try and regain the 40% of their weight lost from their long winter’s sleep. Most of the trophy hunters won’t even bother with the fur this time of year but will just take the bear’s head and paws and of course take that all important selfie!
The ”Super Natural B.C.” I know and love has NO place for Trophy killing of sentient beings such as bears! This sport or hobby by a few is a travesty, an international embarrassment, a social injustice and of course it is just simply inhumane.
Letter copied to Bears Matter and reproduced with permission:
Subject: Super, Natural British Columbia and trophy hunting
Date: March 25, 2016 at 11:14:55 AM PDT
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Dear Minister Bond,
I’ve lived and worked in British Columbia all my life and every day am grateful to have been born here. The recently launched Destination B.C. materials showcase our province’s people, the animals, the communities and pristine wild spaces and I think “yes, this is what my home looks like”.
But there is a glaring disconnect between what the material portrays of B.C. wildlife and the continued legal practice of trophy hunting in this province. It’s a serious schism. Killing wild animals for sport or trophy is a violent, disrespectful practice that certainly wouldn’t be included in tourism materials. This highlights a glaring misalignment of attitudes toward our wild species that needs to be remedied.
Update by Bears Forever Organization on the Outcome of the Clayton Stoner Case. He was found guilty of holding a resident Limited Entry Hunt tag for a grizzly bear when he was not a resident of the province at that time …Mr. Stoner was fined $10,000 and banned from hunting in B.C. for three years. From facebook page of Bears Forever https://www.facebook.com/bearsforeverbc
As everyone celebrates Clayton Stoner being sentenced today, here are some things to bear in mind:
1) Trophy hunting is not illegal under Settler law. Stoner has simply been found guilty of hunting with the wrong kind of license. We need to make this illegal under Settler law so the activity stops completely.
2) Stoner is also guilty of contravening the Indigenous ban on trophy hunting under Indigenous law, and the Settler courts have no jurisdiction over that.
3) No one would have caught Stoner in the first place if First Nations hadn’t been investing their money and energy in monitoring hunt activity. The Province has NO capacity to effectively regulate or monitor the hunt. That burden falls to us.
4) Justice for the Grizzly shot by Stoner, is important. But what we’re fighting for with the Bears Forever campaign is justice for ALL bears. That won’t happen until the province regulates an end to the hunt. And we won’t stop our work until they do.
You can find out more about what we’re doing at bearsforever.ca
Read More »Guilty Plea from Clayton Stoner, $10K Fine & 3 yr Hunting Ban
November 12, 2015 MEDIA ADVISORY
Vancouver, B.C. – Anaheim Ducks Defenseman, Clayton Stoner (originally of Port NcNeill, B.C.) faces five charges for Illegally Killing ‘Cheeky the Grizzly’ in the Great Bear Rainforest in May 2013. After three adjournments Stoner’s lawyer is finally expected to enter a ‘guilty’ plea at Robson Square Provincial Courthouse-800 Hornby Street, Rm 101 at 9:30a.m.
