SIDNEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Today, a coalition of some of the worlds leading scientists, conservationists, and animal advocates sent a letter to British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell urging the government to immediately ban the hunting of grizzly bears in the province. The coalition including –  esteemed biologists and nearly 70 organizations representing approximately 15 million members – said grizzly bears remain at great risk and deserve more vigorous protections. The alliance effort was led by Canadian groups, Raincoast Conservation and Valhalla Wilderness Society, and the U.S. wildlife protection organization, Big Wildlife. (See complete list of signatories below.)

“There is no ecological, economic or ethical justification for killing British Columbias grizzly bears for sport, said Chris Genovali, Executive Director of the Sidney, BC-based organization, Raincoast Conservation. Trophy hunting of grizzly bears is not only based on dubious science, but also on faulty economics and an absence of ethics that verges on amoral. The grizzly hunt is a black eye for our province and our country,” said Genovali.

Grizzly bears in BC face a host of threats, including habitat loss from industrial logging, mining, and energy development, as well as urban sprawl, and human-induced mortality from trophy hunting, poaching, and aggressive lethal predator control. Last year, a record 430 grizzlies were killed, the vast majority of whom were shot by trophy hunters. In BC grizzlies can even be killed within the majority of provincial parks. In addition, climate change has the potential to impact salmon abundance the main prey species of coastal grizzlies creating new challenges for bears.

The provincial Ministry of the Environment claims there are 17,000 grizzly bears in BC and has used that estimate to establish kill quotas for the grizzly hunt. Yet, the governments grizzly bear population data lacks scientific credibility since it has not undergone any rigorous independent scrutiny, such as peer-reviewed publication. In light of the many threats facing grizzlies and the uncertainty about the species long term viability, the coalition said it makes no sense to permit trophy hunting of the bears.

"Grizzly bears are one of the world's greatest natural treasures, yet they are still relentlessly hunted and poached. Such continued pressure on an extremely vulnerable species is a recipe for extinction. Hunting grizzlies is like hunting endangered mountain gorillas in Africa." said Spencer Lennard, Program Director for the Oregon-based wildlife conservation group, Big Wildlife.

U.S. groups on the letter said movement of grizzlies across the border into the U.S. is crucial for the future of the small grizzly populations there. Protecting grizzlies in BC will undoubtedly improve the long-term recovery prospects for grizzlies in both countries, the groups said.

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Signatories calling for the ban on hunting of grizzly bears include:

SCIENTISTS

Dr Paul Paquet, Adjunct Professor, University of Calgary * Dr. Michael Soule, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Santa Cruz * David R. Parsons, Carnivore Conservation Biologist, The Rewilding Institute * Dr. Barrie K. Gilbert, Professor Emeritus, Wildland Resources, Utah State University * Dr. Philip Stoddard, Professor of Vertebrate Zoology, Dept Biological Sciences, Florida International University * Dr. Lee Benda, Research Scientist, Earth Systems Institute * Dr. Peggy Ostrom, College of Natural Science, Michigan State University * Dr. Chris Darimont, Wilmers Lab, Dept. of Environmental Studies, University of California * Dr. Jim Boone., Desert Wildlife Consultants *

CANADIAN

Raincoast Conservation Society * Valhalla Wilderness Society * David Suzuki Foundation * Humane Society International/Canada * Wilderness Committee * Environmental Defence * Sierra Club BC * International Fund for Animal Welfare Canada * Vancouver Humane Society * Get Bear Smart Society, Whistler * Fur-Bearer Defenders * The Humane Society of Canada * Forest Ethics * Get BEAR Smart Society, Kootenay * Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge * Nature Vancouver * North Shore Black Bear Society * West Kootenay EcoSociety * Save-The-Cedar League * Granby Wilderness Society * Goosetongue Guiding and Consulting * Campaigns Against The Cruelty to Animals Canada * Canadian Environmental Law Association *

U.S.

Big Wildlife* Sierra Club * Humane Society of the United States * Center for Biological Diversity * Natural Resources Defense Council * Endangered Species Coalition * The Rewilding Institute * Environmental Investigation Agency *Animal Welfare Institute * Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute * BEAR League * Fund for Wild Nature * Conservation Congress * Western Wildlife Conservancy * Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development * Species Survival Network * World Temperate Rainforest Network * The Animals Voice * Help Our Wolves Live * Democracy in Action * Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals * Western Nebraska Resources Council * Animal Voices Radio * Native Forest Council * Klamath Forest Alliance * Bear Interest Group * In Defense of Animals * Wildlife Alliance of Maine * Umpqua Watersheds * Massachusetts Progressive Animal Watchdog Society * Rogue Advocates * Friends of McKay