Episode 19

Wolf Hunting Controversy in BC

In this episode Mark and Curtis are in the studio respecting the social distancing rules. But the show must go on, so in the absence of a guest the guys take an in-depth look at wolf hunting and the story surrounding the recent death of a well-known coastal wolf in BC. Topics discussed in this episode include an analysis of British Columbia’s Wolf Management Plan, wolf population dynamics, wolf species and subspecies, wolf extinctions, theories of why some people trophy hunt, predator management in the North American sustained yield model, why some people find wolf hunting so disdainful, the possible motives behind why some resident hunters will kill a wolf, whether carnivore meat is edible, is this really going to be Cecil the wolf?, the current wolf hunting narrative, the shaming hunter tactic, trophic cascade, plural breeding and some solutions on how a wider range of social values around wolves can be incorporated into wildlife management and conservation without all the conflict and controversy.

Correction: After being captured in the City of Victoria, the  wolf was not relocated to another group of islands. It was relocated further up the main island where we feel that no one living there could have known the identity of this individual animal or intentionally hunted it.

Show Notes

Wolf Management Plan in British Columbia

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wildlife/management-issues/docs/grey_wolf_management_plan.pdf

Globe and Mail Op-Ed Article
Takaya the Grey Wolf Will Become BC’s Cecil

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-takaya-the-grey-wolf-will-become-bcs-cecil-the-lion/e Lion

Cover photo Credit: Copyright © hkuchera / Adobe Stock