Hunting is a way of life for many British Columbians, and well-crafted game regulations are an important part of wildlife management.
But there鈥檚 something disturbing about trophy hunting.
A First Nations group announced a ban on trophy-bear hunting along parts of sa国际传媒鈥檚 coast last year, and says it is preparing to enforce that ban this year.
Native peoples have traditionally had a reverential relationship with wild animals, but apart from cultural considerations, the bears are worth more alive than dead to the First Nations people, many of whom are part of a growing ecotourism industry that includes bear-watching.
According to the Guide Outfitters Association of sa国际传媒, hunting brings about $116 million worth of economic activity to the province each year. According to the Wilderness Tourism Association of sa国际传媒, ecotourism here is worth about $1.5 billion a year.
The Forests and Lands Ministry doesn鈥檛 support the trophy-hunting ban, saying sa国际传媒鈥檚 bear population is well managed and is not threatened by hunting.
But it鈥檚 not just about the numbers.
Trophy hunters go for the biggest and the best, as opposed to natural predation, which tends to take the weakest and the slowest, thereby helping to improve the gene pool.
A bearskin on the wall gives a hunter bragging rights, but shooting a bear with a high-powered rifle equipped with a telescopic sight is an unequal contest, and a hide and a head are all that鈥檚 left of the bear.
A framed photo is a better trophy 鈥� it helps preserve the experience of watching a bear in its habitat, and the bear is no worse off.
