A One-Man Bounty On Wolves In BC

Bounty: a payment to encourage the destruction of noxious animals. Webster-Merriam

Wolves in British Columbia are in grave danger at this writing. Steve Isdahl has proudly taken it upon himself on social media to have as many wolves killed in the province as he can. Contacting trappers on Facebook he is appealing to trappers and hunters in the seven regions to join him in his mission. He is raising funds for snares, leghold traps, gas for trucks and ATV access to remote management units.

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It’s all there to see on his Facebook page, euphemistically named “BC Ungulate Foundation” which he is wanting to register as a charity. He claims that wolves have decimated deer, elk and moose populations in the province, and therefore must be killed exponentially in all regions. He provides no research on wolf populations nor research on specific ungulate populations, only the assertion of some hunters that they have been unable to kill as many ungulates as they did several years ago.

“This as fast action and awesome as it gets.
We are literally racing the calendar to make a BIG difference before spring birthing season for 2018.”

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There will be an increase in active trap lines across British Columbia this year, and snares will be set in unexpected places, with no warning signs to alert the public that these devices are nearby. In a recent incident near Nanaimo two dogs were caught in leghold traps within feet of each other. Dog walker Kim Andrews was unable to remove the trap immediately from the second dog, and took video of the excruciating pain that the trap caused.

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The open season for Vancouver Island wolf trapping is November 1 to June 30. Island residents need to be aware that this mass trapping initiative will pose a danger to their pets and children while engaging in outdoor activities.

There is little to no protection for wolves in our province. By 1911 wolves were extinct in Atlantic Canada and to this day only 12% of wolf range is protected in our country. If we allow bounties on these highly evolved, keystone animals we will have learned nothing from centuries of experience. Leaving the care of wildlife to self-proclaimed “noble huntsmen” who invoke the specter of the Big Bad Wolf is poor public policy and bad management. We all deserve better.

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Kelly Carson

Victoria Animal News

About Kelly Carson

Kelly Carson is the founder of DeerSafe Victoria and president of the B.C. Deer Protection Society. Kelly is a contributor to the Victoria Animal News with years of writing and news release experience. She is a life long animal activist and advocate in Victoria and abroad.

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11 comments

  1. The most dangerous animal on the planet is the human animal. Evil and deceitful, we will be our own end.

  2. this idiot is upset because a wolf killed a deer or elk before he could. you eliminate one species and another will over populate and then these same kooks will wnt to kill off another species of animal. animals are smart humans are stupid idiots.

  3. He’s not a hunter, he’s a killer who suffers from bloodlust

  4. Well written and right on. These traps are placed out of sight, either buried or otherwise camouflaged, with no signage posted. Trappers know that if signs were posted, they could get sprung by people who can’t stand the thought of animals being caught in them. They either need to post signage anyway – or STOP setting traps that can catch wild, domestic or even human creatures!

  5. Who is he kidding…..! a “Charity”???? What a horrid man….

  6. there is no scientific basis for a wolf cull in b.c….This is killing for the sake of killing and must be stopped. There are far to many deer on Vancouver island and the gulf islands so the argument that wolves are killing the ungulates at a high rate is untrue. The government must stop this unethical and unscientific cull.

  7. He is nothing other than a murderer. Humans are a plague on this planet 🙁

  8. Clearly he’s nuts just like all irrational predator haters.
    Who is allowing this dangerous “man” to make such decisions? They’d better step in and put him in his place NOW!

  9. This guy is mad only because the wolfs kill deer that he wants to to shoot!! The deer are prey for the wolfs to feed themselves and possibly their young. Humans kill the deer to hang the antlers on their fucking wall!!

  10. Why does one person get to make these demands . Especially with no proof. And on public land . Dangering the lives of innocent people and their 4 leggeges family members !! Their is no way deer will kill a population of deer and elk!!!! These people just want the deer for themselves. Wake up humans!!!! This is an animal that is essential and if you take them all down then in 2 years you will be looking to kill off the deer and the elk because there is no preditor