B.C. Has its Own Version of Cecil the Lion by Julius Strauss and Kevin Smith
Grizzly bear viewing is a growing tourism business that brings in millions of dollars to the B.C. economy. PHOTO: Jonathan Hayward/CP
While the world has been gripped by the sad fate of Cecil the Lion, shot earlier this week by an American trophy hunter on the plains of Africa and left to die, British Columbia has many of its very own Cecils quietly bringing millions of dollars into the provincial economy.
Over the last two decades, grizzly bear viewing in B.C. has grown from a tiny niche business to one estimated be worth $30 million in direct revenue to the economy in 2012, according to the Centre for Responsible Travel’s study conducted with Stanford University.
This is more than 10 times as much as the industry of killing bears for sport.
And yet, this industry is under pressure from trophy hunting.
Read More »B.C. Has its Own Version of Cecil the Lion by Julius Strauss and Kevin Smith
