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Let bears be bears

We are killing bears for being bears. The human behaviour that creates the very problem that leads to the destruction of even more bears continues.

Re: “Bears, chickens a lethal mix, conservation officer says”, Yukon News, May 26:

We are killing bears for being bears. The human behaviour that creates the very problem that leads to the destruction of even more bears continues.

Exploiting chickens, goats, etc., should not take priority over wild animals. Electric fencing needs to be mandatory — not a choice — if we truly don’t want to kill bears or other wildlife.

But the very sad reality and hypocrisy here is that the Department of Environment issues permits for the legal destruction of both black and grizzly bears in the spring and fall every year. These bears that do not bother anyone and yet they are killed because the department sees them as resources and not for who they truly are: sentient beings that deserve to have their own lives to themselves.

Human-wildlife conflicts definitely need attention. End the hypocrisy as well, if we truly want to protect bears and other wildlife.

Mike Grieco,

Whitehorse