The controversial “Judas Wolf” Cull Program being carried out by the B.C. Government is not only inhumane, it is ecologically flawed.
The aim of the program is to reduce wolf populations by 80 per cent so there are fewer than three wolves for every 1,000 square kilometres of provincial territory. To date, 34 wolf packs in BC have been eliminated.
Why? Because some people dislike wolves intensely and blame them for the declines in caribou, deer, elk and sheep – the animals they want to hunt.
Ranchers dislike wolves because they kill their cattle, and some effort is made to compensate for this.
Lots of people fear wolves, but “Big Bad Wolf” is a fairy tale.
Most distressingly, Wildlife Management in B.C. continues to kill one of nature’s most important predators due to misunderstandings, misinformation and special interests.
Wildlife Management refuses to accept the science, even though the government has admitted habitat loss is the chief cause of caribou decline.
The cull is inhumane according to a former SPCA officer. Wolves are followed by helicopters and at least one wolf is trapped in a net and collared with a tracking device. This “Judas Wolf” is then tracked back to its pack where sharp-shooters kill the whole pack from the helicopters.
However, it is very hard to kill a wolf outright from ‘choppers’, so the wolves are often shot multiple times. In one case 17 wolves were killed and only one was killed from a single clean shot (from data obtained through Freedom of Information by Pacific Wild).
Scientific studies have repeatedly shown that wolves are apex predators that help keep populations of ungulates healthy by removing the weak and sick animals and improving the genetic health of the herds. This, in turn, keeps ecosystems in balance. Witness what happened in Yellowstone National Park in the U.S.
The U.S. got rid of most of its wolves due to misconceptions about them. The lack of wolves in Yellowstone resulted in a huge increase in herbivores, in particular elk. The elk ate so much of the vegetation that other animals started to decline.
When wolves were brought back, elk numbers dropped to a healthier number, grazing was spread out over the whole area, revegetation occurred providing more food and habitat for all species, resulting in an increase in biodiversity. In other words, wolves are a keystone species maintaining more balanced and healthier ecosystems.
Loss of habitat and increased access to the backcountry through road development and other linear infrastructure (pipelines, seismic and transmission lines) has resulted in severe reductions in the numbers of caribou, especially in B.C.
Some see the wolves as competitors for the caribou (or ungulate) ‘pie’ and blame the wolves for declines.
Wildlife Management in BC is reluctant to change because of tradition and concern for maintaining the status quo.
