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Bear Hunting Although they have acknowledged that it is time for a change, the Ministry of Defence has attempted to defend its use of bearskin by claiming that the bears are "culled" anyway. However, it is money from buyers like the British Army that keeps hunters happy and making a profit from killing these animals. Bears aren't crops to be "harvested"; they are individuals who live in families and feel pain and terror when shot. A representative from the Brigade of Guards trying to somehow justify the slaughter of free-living bears in North America showed the nature of "research" that went into this project by providing information published in association with a fur-trade group in Canada!  The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources report that as many as one in seven bears is not killed outright and escapes wounded. Wounded bears who get away may die from blood loss, starvation or gangrene. It is common for bears to be hunted from bait sites. Food is left regularly for hungry bears, so they become accustomed to going to the same spot to find food. Hunters then hide in tree stands and shoot at the bears who come looking for their regular meal. It's hardly a display of skill or sportsmanship. In some Canadian provinces, there are no restrictions on the shooting of mothers with nursing cubs, leading to the slaughter of entire families during hunts. Bears are also trapped with foot snares or box/culvert traps, which are intended to keep the bears alive until the return of the hunter. While some provinces insist that the traps be checked daily, others allow the traps to be checked as infrequently as every three days. |
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