Published Wednesday, January 7, 2015 1:49PM EST
EDMONTON — Internal government reports say Alberta will have to expand its wolf kill to protect more threatened caribou herds living on ranges heavily disturbed by industry, despite official assurances that no such measures are planned.
Observers say the documents — obtained by The Canadian Press under freedom-of-information legislation — represent the true state of affairs as the province prepares to release range plans for it northern foothills.
They say any credible new plans will inevitably follow the recommendations to kill more wolves.
“If you’re serious about caribou conservation, you’re going to have to have some stop-gap measures in place to buy time,” said Stan Boutin, a caribou biologist at the University of Alberta.
“The only stop-gap measure the government has currently entertained is the wolf removal. How they think they can distribute a plan that doesn’t have a short-term solution in place seems absurd to me.”
Alberta has killed almost 1,000 wolves since 2006 on the range of the Little Smoky herd, a small group of caribou in west-central Alberta. The herd’s range has been about 95 per cent disturbed by industry, leaving the caribou increasingly exposed to wolf predation.
Three other nearby ranges are in similar states with disturbance rates from 50 to 95 per cent — far higher than federal guidelines for usable caribou habitat.
Energy leases are still being sold on those ranges. Forestry also continues.
Plans for the four areas are expected early this spring, said Alberta Environment spokesman Duncan MacDonnell. The Little Smoky plan is already a year late and a federal deadline of 2017 for all of Alberta’s caribou ranges is looming.
The government knows the world is watching.
Observers expect Alberta to expand wolf kill despite government denials | CTV News.
Comments
You all are very PATHETIC! Caribous are MORE their food then YOU hunters! They were on this earth before you blood thirsty, weak, don’t like the competition sorry excuse for a human. God has a reason he created all his creations, & alll have a purpose on this earth! Now for you all to have a dumb freakin excuse to kill the wolves just know there is a thing called KARMA & Mother Nature will handle you all! You are NOT GOD so STOP trying to manage this planet, far enough most of you all are jacking this planet up. Killing the wolves will ruin the ecosystem & the land, & animals that depends pn the wolves will diminish thank to all you blood thirsty, killing,demonic,heartless hunters. Your not saving anyone but YOURSELVES, don’t like the competition, just want to sit, hide & kill..most are unhealthy looking. Wolves on the other hand use what they are BORN w/ fangs & claws…they don’t cheat unlike hunters w/ guns & bow & arrows. They RUN after their preys, thrill for the chase, UNLIKE hunters that hides Up a tree, in bushes camouflaged, sitting & waiting for their prey…LEAVE THE WOLVES ALONE!!!!!! All you hunters want to do is KILL ALL WILDLIFE!
“Internal government reports say Alberta will have to expand its wolf kill to protect more threatened caribou herds living on ranges heavily disturbed by industry”
So because of the bunch of unethical and greedy tar sands exploiters who are destroying caribou habitat, you are going to allow the merciless kill off the innocent wolves???
WTF Canadians!!!
Leave the wolves alone the don’t warn humans. So I REPEAT LEAVE THEY ALONE.
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