Mankind continues to encroach on the last remaining
vestiges of wild lands as urban sprawl drives short sighted governments to
increasingly carve up migration routes and natural habitat in favor of
furthering the financial agenda.
On its own, there is absolutely nothing nefarious about
financial growth for corporations that provide jobs and drive those economic
indicators heard on nightly newscasts. However, when that expansion clashes
with ancient ecosystems, migratory paths, breeding grounds, and wildlife habitat, our response is to
slaughter the diminishing numbers and genetic purity of wildlife that most
concrete jungle dwellers rarely have the opportunity to see outside the caged
prison of a zoo.
To ease barriers faced by developers, mankind seems
perfectly willing to slaughter any wildlife in the path of ‘progress’.
Routinely, those charged with wildlife management have introduced wild horse
culls, coyote culls, wolf culls. bison culls, elk and deer culls, and a host of
marine and land based wildlife culls to suit short sighted agendas.
Recent news reports of the bison cull at Yellowstone
National Park and British Columbia’s wolf cull led to outrage as it was learned
the reasons behind the culls. Most would likely agree that, if the reason for
the culls is to prevent the spread of disease, then the ends justify the means.
However, when those culls are introduced because of a contractual obligation,
as is the case with the Yellowstone bison, then perhaps the contracts need to
be renegotiated to reflect the realities of a more educated and enlightened
people of today.
The Bison Cull at
Yellowstone National Park
Once, up to 60 million head of bison thundered across the
prairies of North America, providing the aboriginals with a staple of food,
clothing, and other uses, until they were hunted to extinction by whites
seeking only the commercialized pelts. By the early 1900’s, only a few dozen
bison remained.
Today, the successful protection of bison has resulted in
approximately 4900 head in Yellowstone National Park. But that’s too many
according to a contractual agreement between federal agencies and Montana state
representatives that has legislated a maximum 3000 head in the Park.
The Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP), signed in
2000, was the result of rancher’s fears that when bison migrated to lower
elevations for winter forage, they would infect grazing cattle with
brucellosis, a bacterial infectious disease. This, despite there not having
been recorded such a case.
Ranchers in Montana are a powerful and influential lobby
that are principally responsible for the eradication of wolves in Yellowstone
until that species was successfully reintroduced using packs from Canada in
1995. Simmers to revert to large scale wolf culls in Yellowstone are brewing
again.
To be fair to ranchers, they are hard-working people raising
their herds as a source of income from which they make their living. However,
in the interest of protecting an ancient ecosystem that existed long before
their arrival, better solutions need to be introduced that can ensure the
survival of wildlife and ranches alike.
The Wolf Cull in
British Columbia
British Columbia is its second year of a two year planned
cull of 500 wolves throughout the province, costing the taxpayers 2.2 million
dollars. What makes this massive cull even more devious is its alleged use of a
Judas wolf, something provincial authorities deny but the Wildlife Defence League (WDL)
says it has proof in the form of an audio confession from one of the
contractors bloodying its hands on behalf of the province.
A Judas wolf (so-called in a biblical reference to its betrayal
to the pack) is outfitted with a radio transmitter collar which is tracked by a
helicopter. When the tracking signal shows the wolf stationary for a period of
time, it is indicative the wolf is at the den, at which time the chopper swoops
in and a sniper opens fire. The wolves don’t stand a chance, except Ghost, the
named Judas wolf, whose life is spared so it can lead the flying assassins to a
future pack.
Wolves are revered in aboriginal culture and are an apex
predator, helping to balance the ecosystem we seem hell-bent on destroying.
So, why is the beautiful province of British Columbia
tinkering with the wolf population? Not coincidentally, it is because it has
previously tinkered with populations of prey species, and before that, with
other predator species. The circle continues to tighten like a noose, as the
boundaries for wildlife shrink.
Now What?
Evidently, we lack the foresight to coexist with
wildlife. Those agencies we task to help us understand the behaviors and ecosystems
of wildlife are failing in their mission to be the advocates for managing
development of our public lands. Agreeably, it cannot be an easy mandate.
Financial pressures and bureaucratic meddling make the job difficult.
What is needed is international and inter-regional
cooperation between agencies. That means federal national parks agencies,
provincial and state wildlife agencies, municipal land use planners, affected
special interest groups (such as ranchers) must all approach this imperative
with open minds and solution-based long term vision, with the goal of
eliminating the short sighted sporadic and conflicting wildlife policies that
currently exist.
What we are doing is definitely not working well for man
or wildlife.
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