What does a citizen-led wolf cull in British Columbia look like?
Trapping, snaring and shooting-on-sight of British Columbia’s wolves has been escalated this year by a citizen campaign asking for donations to trappers to eradicate wolves across the province, in order to “grow” ungulate populations. Calling themselves BC Ungulate Foundation, they claim to have fifty members, according to their “spokesman” Steve Isdahl.
He is raising funds for what he calls ‘wolf assassins’, or ‘problem solvers,’ to pay for traps, gas and equipment. It began with a GoFundMe campaign, which was swiftly shut down after complaints, but he and others now claim to be receiving funds privately. The core idea is that hunters need to support trappers to dramatically increase wolf kills, using leghold traps and snares. He enthuses that this is the perfect antidote to laws, regulations, quotas, bans and politics.
Since the post by Victoria Animal News on February 13, 2018 called “A One-Man Bounty on BC Wolves,” graphic posts on the BC Ungulate Foundation’s Facebook page have been removed.
A warning about the following graphic images and quotes: they depict unimaginable suffering, but they speak for themselves about the reality of an unscientific, unregulated citizen cull using snares and leghold traps. Note that some of the screen captures are also from a previous attempt at a wolf cull in 2009. Those engaged in the current 2018 wolf kill campaign have been reticent to post their gleeful photos this year since they have realized that the public has noticed their online activity.
Note that BC trapping regulations suggest that killing snares are to be checked once every 14 days. This wolf was “skinny and sickly.”
Non-killing traps are to be checked every 72 hours. (BC Government Trapping Regulation) This wolf had to be shot.
Unintended victims have also been documented by the trappers as they target wolves. This is not a topic that trappers like to discuss.
In the words of “Elkhound”: “I think the public and hunters are naive about the facts when it comes to trapping.”
Now we know. British Columbians cannot leave the management of BC predators to those with an appetite for killing the animals that they want, as well as the animals they don’t want.
For more information please see the BC Trapping Regulations.
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