Magazine Article

Two grizzly cubs run over and killed in B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest – fr Narwhal by Molly Segal

by Barb Murray
July 17, 2019

NEWS https://thenarwhal.ca/two-grizzly-cubs-run-over-and-killed-in-b-c-s-great-bear-rainforest/ Deaths highlight ongoing tensions between humans and bears in the Bella Coola Valley Molly Segal Jul 11, 2019 7 min read Conservation officers have found two grizzly bear cubs dead at the Thorsen Creek landfill in the Bella Coola… Read More »Two grizzly cubs run over and killed in B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest – fr Narwhal by Molly Segal

Killing the Female: The Psychology of the Hunt

by Barb Murray
December 30, 2018July 3, 2020
1 Comment

https://www.animals24-7.org/2018/12/29/killing-the-female-the-psychology-of-the-hunt/ This is an updated article on Dec 28, 2018 by Merritt Clifton about why hunters are ‘different’ from the ‘average Joe’ and why they are on the decline! We, the non-consumptive-users of wildlife, need to step-up & ask our… Read More »Killing the Female: The Psychology of the Hunt

New B.C. government will review “professional reliance” by Briony Penn

by Barb Murray
September 8, 2017September 8, 2017

Sept 07, 2017 Full Article: http://www.focusonvictoria.ca/septoct-2017/new-government-will-review-professional-reliance-r11/ The practice may have played a leading role in creating some of BC’s most high-profile environmental blunders. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, as a reporter for CHUM TV (aka The New VI), I got a call… Read More »New B.C. government will review “professional reliance” by Briony Penn

Grizzly Group Takes Aim at Trophy Hunting, Sets Sights on Provincial Election Candidates

by Barb Murray
August 16, 2016September 9, 2016

Justice for BC Grizzlies supplied photo

By Judith Lavoie • Monday, August 15, 2016 – 11:15

http://www.desmog.ca/2016/08/15/grizzly-group-takes-aim-trophy-hunting-sets-sights-provincial-election-candidates
Above the stone fireplace in the comfortable Saanich home, photos of grizzly bears are pinned in a casual collage.

Cubs are shown frolicking in the grass, a curious bear stands on his hind legs looking through a camera lens and, jarringly, at the top, is a massive grizzly lying lifeless in the grass, eyes closed, claws digging into the dirt, as two jubilant hunters smile into the camera.

The photo, typical of those found in hunting magazines that promote the chance to travel to Super, Natural B.C. to kill grizzles, provokes a visceral response among hunt opponents and a newly-formed group wants to harness that gut reaction.

Justice for B.C. Grizzlies is led by a small core of volunteers who, for years, have tried to end the trophy hunt by arguing the facts — such as the uncertainty of population numbers, studies that show bear viewing generates far more in visitor spending than bear hunting and — what should be the clincher for politicians, but, curiously seems to be ignored — polls clearly demonstrate that British Columbians are overwhelmingly against the hunt.

Suzuki: Time to End Grisly Trophy Hunt in BC

by Barb Murray
March 10, 2015June 27, 2016

NHL hockey player Clayton Stoner posing with dead grizzly (Coastal Guardian Watchmen) http://commonsensecanadian.ca/suzuki-time-to-end-grisly-trophy-hunt/

Posted March 10, 2015 by Dr. David Suzuki in Species At Risk

Watching grizzly bears catch and eat salmon as they swim upstream to spawn is an unforgettable experience. Many people love to view the wild drama. Some record it with photos or video. But a few want to kill the iconic animals — not to eat, just to put their heads on a wall or coats on a floor.

The Economics and Ethics of Trophy Hunting by Judith Lavoie

by Barb Murray
March 5, 2014March 5, 2014

Focus Magazine, March 2014 http://focusonline.ca/?q=node/691

Studies call into question BC Liberals’ plans to expand bear hunting.

The magic of watching black bears overturning rocks and scooping up crabs on a Tofino beach, the once-in-a-lifetime excitement of seeing a Spirit Bear near Klemtu or witnessing the awe-inspiring power of grizzlies feeding on salmon in the Great Bear Rainforest are vignettes of BC that both tourists and residents carry close to their hearts.

So it is not surprising that a study by the Center for Responsible Travel at Stanford University in Washington concludes that live bears are worth more in cold, hard cash than dead bears. Not surprising, that is, to anyone except BC’s provincial government.

Instead of boosting the profitable business of bear viewing, the government is looking at extending the length of the spring black bear hunt and is re-opening the grizzly hunt in three areas of the Kootenays and one in the Cariboo—all formerly closed because of over-hunting.

Another indication of where provincial sympathies lie came during the first week of the spring sitting of the Legislature, when government introduced changes to the Wildlife Act—changes that will allow corporations, not just individuals, to hold guide outfitting areas, making it easier for a group of people to jointly purchase territories and reducing liability for individual owners. Assistant guides will no longer have to be licensed, allowing guide outfitters more flexibility during peak periods, something the industry says will reduce red tape.