Meet the trophy-hunting clowns who dictate wildlife policy in B.C.
Afro wigs, bananas and big cheques for the politicians in the room
It’s Spring, which means the usual passel of foreign executives, weird dentists, and professional sports players are flying around B.C. looking for grizzly bears to kill.
Whatever you think of hunting for meat, the Spring grizzly hunt is different. Having emerged from hibernation, the bears wander down from their snowy dens to look for food. That’s when they’re shot, skinned, and decapitated. Their bodies are left to rot.
Spring also brings the trophy hunting industry’s annual ballroom gala, featuring BC Liberal ministers, plenty of taxidermy, and comedic musical acts. Here’s a picture of five guides at an event in Kelowna, wearing Afro wigs and holding bananas.
The picture was captioned “The Jackson 5, all grown up,” until it was deleted from the Facebook page of the Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia. The trophy hunters also scrubbed a picture of “Manjeet,” described as “a GOABC classic”.
Also performing that night was Guide Outfitters Association executive director Scott Ellis dressed up as Prince, another celebrated black artist (who died last month).
Why is this relevant to B.C. politics, and the unfolding scandal over corporate donations? Well, there were at least two government ministers in the crowd at this 2013 event, including the minister in charge of hunting, Steve Thomson. Here he is accepting an Okanagan wine basket from Scott Ellis, who looks like he’s still wearing eyeshadow.
Along with Ellis, Minister Thomson is the other spokesman trotted out twice a year to defend the trophy hunt, which 91 percent of British Columbians oppose.
Why does the government of British Columbia continue to promote an activity that delivers a negative economic impact, violates First Nations law, and is clearly against the values of British Columbians?
The political donations can’t hurt. A month before Minister Thomson received his wine basket in Kelowna, the BC Liberals cashed a $12,500 cheque from the Guide Outfitters Association.
According to a quick search of Elections BC records, the trophy hunters have given at least $76,175 to Christy Clark and the BC Liberals, with $9,025 going to the BC NDP.
Whether it’s the election cash or just a shared taste in entertainment, the Liberal ministers give their friends the Guide Outfitters nearly anything they ask for. And not just grizzly bears — last year resident hunters got a rude surprise when the government started transferring licences for food animals like moose and elk over to the foreign trophy hunting industry.
These bizarre galas are just one more reason to ban corporate money in B.C. politics. The donations may be legal, but they leave citizens with the distinct impression that the province’s animals are up for sale, with a portion of proceeds going straight into the Premier’s pocket.
Please join our campaign to Ban Big Money in B.C. politics.
From the 2012 GOABC Gala. “In recognition of her support for our industry,
Premier Clark was presented with the President’s Award.”
Appalling.
Keep up the eye opening work ! Uncover cruption and expose it for what it is. Thank you.
At some point this corrupt government system that promotes trophy hunting should be dropped off in grizzly country, absolutely DEFENSELESS like the spring bears and let the hungry bears wipe that “shit eating ” grin off these officials faces….
The whole hunting policy in this province reeks of rotting bear meat….
If 91%of BC residents oppose trophy hunting, then those same 91% should also vote to get rid of Christy Clark and her lapdogs….there is more money brought into tourism to see these majestic bears in the wild than money from trophy hunting….but of course tourists don’t put money into Clarks personal wallet….the big lobbying groups that want trophy hunting pay the bribe to Clark, and her government makes sure big trophy hunting in BC doesn’t die….they don’t have a moral bone in their bodies and a government like that needs to be swept OUT OF POWER!!!
Couldn’t agree more.
Shame on you Christy Clark!
Outrageous!!
Well written, Grant. I agree. I am so sick of the slaughter of animals. I am so incredibly sick of the immoral and unethical practice of selling out our wildlife . We should all be standing against govt taxes (which are obviously wasted) and we should shut down the whole system of govt until they actually begin to listen and realize that the apparently 91% of people who are against this slaughter, actually have a voice and that voice is for standing up for our wildlife and our wilderness . I would rather use my camera to take a shot of an animal. I do not understand the lack of empathy for these animals and the slaughter of both bears and wolves is an ugly scar upon our history. We used to be known as a country that was beautiful for its wilderness and wildlife. It’s time we took it back and saved both.
Race baiting element also to their gross onstage hi-jinks,…….guess the animals have to suffer too for some men’s repressed sexuality.
Disappointing
Yet another confirmation that our government is for sale to the highest bidder. And now we know it’s even worse than that – Christy Clark benefits personally by her party “stipend”. This stinks to high heaven. Let’s give these bums the heave-ho.
(I meant the 91% that are AGAINST this slaughter)
These bums should never have been elected. First of all there is not a ” Liberal ” among them. CC has been a shill, all her political life , such as it is.People should have been well versed in CC’s tactics long ago when she was education minister.
Disgusting activity – and a disgusting display that should tell you, in no uncertain terms, that these people are a disgrace to civilized society. I do not expect the Liberal Party to stop the trophy hunt, or to stop taking money from these morons (Clark seems to get her financial advice from Heidi Fleiss), but I would strongly urge the NDP to return the cheques.
well written.
Wow, hey Kai, what a great piece of writing! Thanks so much for telling it like it is. What an utterly grotesque ass-kissing scumbag Steve Thompson is.. Three Cheers!! Ingmar
Ass kissing is a sport among BC politics,No wonder Thompson is minister.Top of the heap so to speak.
Tony Brumell Kamloops
Absolutely shameful, I don’t know how they live with themselves , the sneaky rats !!!!
Time for her to go. Get somebody in the will stand with the majority of BC’s people.
Resident Hunters protested against this last year in Victoria & there is way more money involved than $76 thousand ! Each Guide Outfitter donated under their personal names too, over $350 thousand! Dig a bit deeper and you will find the BC Liberals donated +- $350 thousand to the GOABC to promote tourism in BC!
I found this too. It’s real and it’s available to see to the general public. Just over $300k to the GOABC from the Ministry of Tourism.
This is despicable… in every way possible! Hunting a starved and weakened bear is wrong – period. Shame on those who are involved and endorse this type of “sport”. Additionally, violating First Nation’s law and ignoring the values of 91% of BC’s residents hardly demonstrates working for the people of our province.
speak for yourself bear hunting is well regulated well beyond your capacity of thinking. so stay out of it Leslie
I support what Leslie is saying and if you don’t like it perhaps you should move to a country where free speech is not allowed. He at least has some substance to his remarks while you only made a statement with no back up. You are entitled to your opinion though and I am entitled to mine.
No doubt Dan’s a hunter or a guide or both. You should also be ashamed.
You don’t dictate what people do here. They’re not grizzly bears that you can just shoot when you want and leave the carcass to rot. It’s obvious you’re a coward (ie. hunter/guide) and you’re not match for what the definition of a real man is. If you had to be sent out into the forest and hunted you wouldn’t last. But I’d love to see someone try that. You know, just for fun, like hunters do now with bears. By the way, when the hunting industry needs to bribe politicians to do their bidding, there is nothing “well-regulated” about hunting. You know it. Now be a real man and admit it.
good comment Dan people just don’t understand and i would like to see these pictures of bears being decapitated and left to rot because every spring bear hunt i have seen or been on the hunter takes the trophy and the meat is donated to feed villages all over the provinces
What this represents is the in your face slime that Christy is and her cronies and the company she keeps are. How does she sleep at night… easily, she just received another cheque.
What winderful “MEN” these trophy hunters are. Shooying a defensless animal from a 1/2 mile away. Wanna be a ” MAN” act like one … Take up bow hunting.
There’s nothing ‘Manly’ about bow hunting, it’s just another act of a coward. Duke it out face to face without weapons, just like the bear, and then I’ll be impressed.
Exactly – no to trophy hunting period!
This type of behaviour needs to be made much more public. This is unethical and needs to stop
No one cares more about the animals then the hunters! Why do you think the populations are stable and strong? Hunters are the ones that pay the bills for the management costs and purchase of lands to protect them and keep them healthy! It’s all about maintaining a healthy balance just like everything else in life. Un- educated people will always jump on the band wagon even when they are ignorant to reality! 91%, nice false statistics to back up there B.S.! I agree the Liberals have to go, but there is another scumbag waiting to replace them.
“No one cares more about the animals then the hunters!” Talk about logical fallacy, ditto for “It’s all about maintaining a healthy balance just like everything else in life”…..strawman statements……..the earth will manage itself quite fine without undersexed white men “managing’ it, thank you………since when has bloodsports belonged to the realm of ‘educated ‘ people…seriously ?
That is SUCH a useless and old argument – and not proven whatsoever. You want to go out and hunt to be a manly-man and bragging rights! Your healthy ‘balance’ statement is crap and you know it. You just want to go out and shoot the biggest and the best. How does that even begin any healthy balance? You leave sick, old and young animals, instead of the big, mature, healthy animals that need to continue their genetics for the further of a healthy balance. What crap you and all other hunters of ‘small’ statue spew.
I think that some where down the road the governments are going to say to the general population, “Just shut up and pay your taxes”
thanks Kai, The B.C. Liberals are such SCUMBAGS
Abhorrent and heinous! This is but one example of the corrupt, sadistic, sociopathic and violent activities these pieces of human filth get away with while pretending to be good stewards of BC’s “resources”. Disturbingly, sociopaths always manage to get in positions of power leaving behind devastation and casualties. As long as humans continue to accept, glorify, legalize and promote the torture and murder of sentient beings, whether grizzly bears, wolves, deer, or any other nonhuman animal, for human egotism, entertainment and profit, our “civilized” societies will never evolve. The hunting lobby, hunters and the Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia need to go extinct!
thanks well said. Hunting is a barbaric act time to move forward as a species.
TRUE!
‘Disturbingly, sociopaths always manage to get in positions of power leaving behind devastation and casualties’ Sadly, this is true, check out America’s very own animal death squad version, Wildlife Services, which makes these bear hunters look tame by comparison…..might I add that psychopaths/sociopaths ( who ideally should be locked up) also want the public to FUND their deviant behavior, a slap in the face to decency if ever there was one.
Articles like this are needed for awareness. My only heartburn is the painting of two groups with one brush. First the guide out fitters. I have first hand knowledge of the practices they utilize and have seen carcasses left to rot. In other cases I have seen these hunters saving and processing everything from their grizzly kills. The second is First Nations. While we do have traditional laws for the treatment of wildlife and other resources, not all First Nations are against a Grizzly Hunt. To my knowledge we, as a treaty group, have a legal hunt for two Grizzly’s. And the province has two as well. To others this may not mean a lot, but coming from a community that experiences up to 70 % unemployment at its worse, this can mean the difference in obtaining a better quality of life for the family’s of who in our Nation captures this opportunity. All I ask is to paint the full picture without making villains out of some. Otherwise, my opinion is to take these articles with a grain of salt.
I agree Mr Mckay.I have no trouble with First Nations continuing with a traditional hunt.I believe it should not be an ego ,/money hunt but a subsistance hunt. If you shoot ,it you eat it.I think this would cut down on the useless/needles killing of an iconic creature that great cultural value
Tony Brumell Kamloops
Is that Nis’ga ? Thanks for your comments . I hate the term ‘trophy hunting ‘ horn lengths, antler configuration and size of animals ( bear score is sckull inches ) was suppose to be to encourage selective hunting . A four point mule deer is considered ‘trophy ‘ size and the majority of the deer season is set to 4 point or better so that not many get harvested .
General revenue used to be supplied by resources that are now shipped overseas to provide jobs for other countries. Increased gambling, hunting etc. are to make up the shortfall to provide for services. Unfortunately it isn’t enough, so we have continued degrading of all areas such as health, education, highways ( unless the highway is to provide more development for overseas). People not working for a living wage due to these changes, continue to be taxed for these services while the companies and countries benefitting from the resources, do not pay their fair share. Greg McQuarrie
Sickening
Firstly , Grizzly hunting. Yes it is not a meat hunt but it is vital to the conservation and wildlife populations of ungulates and fish in this province. Grizzly bears are a top predator. Unfortunately all of BC is no longer Grizzly habitat as some of us like to live here. SO to keep the habitat, the prey and the predator in balance wildlife is managed in this province. Yes, people pay money to hunt Grizzly bears here and the people who guide them get paid a wage and support local economies. New money gets into the province and circulated. Seems to me at the 2% harvest rate the Province allows we are doing a lot for not only the prey population but the economy.
Secondly, I am saddened that the anti grizzly bear hunting crowd is so straight-laced and uptight that they have never been to an event where people stage a ragtag bunch of amateur performers badly impersonating the Stars of the world….yes the Jackson 5 and Prince but also Elvis, Sonny and Cher, Trump, random ballerinas, ventriloquists, a really bad belly dancer named Manjeet (what would you call a belly dancer? Fred?). .. over the years the list goes on. Our society is a pretty sad place when people who are having a “Fun” night with social interaction and LAUGHTER instead of all staring at a video screen or their phones are deemed the ones that are wrong.
Hi Wendy, thank you for your comment. A 2014 study by the Centre for Responsible Travel at Stanford University found the economic benefits of grizzly hunting in B.C. to be greatly overstated: “Several [FLNRO] officials indicated that the government is spending more on bear hunting management than it is receiving from bear hunting.” In the coastal regions, the report found non-lethal bear viewing operations generated 12 times more visitor spending and 11 times more revenue for the B.C. treasury. You can find the full report here: http://www.responsibletravel.org/projects/documents/Economic_Impact_of_Bear_Viewing_and_Bear_Hunting_in_GBR_of_BC.pdf
Debates over economics and event taste aside, how do you feel about politicians accepting unlimited corporate donations from anywhere in the world?
“Our society is a pretty sad place when people who are having a “Fun” night with social interaction and LAUGHTER instead of all staring at a video screen or their phones are deemed the ones that are wrong.”
It’s racist as all hell, so, yes, I’d consider it to still be wrong.
good call Wendy
In reply to Wendy’s comment as a former British Columbian living on Vancouver Island and going with my father on his fish counts for B.C. Fisheries we saw many Grizzlies from afar and they are beautiful majestic animals which in my opinion are not meant to be trophies. So PASSE! Get a grip have your party but not at the expense of another living creature. They were not put on this earth for us to kill so we could feed our egos. Food kill is different from trophy kill. For the B. C. Government to accept money from any lobby group to get a guaranteed vote is wrong.governments are supposed to be for all people not just the ones that have money. Wrong just wrong. I am not a member of any group but stuff like this is making me think twice.
Wendy,
I mean Brian… you should do some research before you shill for the “kill for fun” industry as your comment is almost as lame as your lack of knowledge.
Jump over to the gutless trophy hunters blog, you’ll find support for your brain dead comments there.
B.C. doesn’t need the guiding industry, the hunting sociopaths or the corrupt B.C. Liberal party..they all have to go.
ONE YEAR AND COUNTING.
Several scientific studies have concluded that hunting or culling does nothing to help conservation of a species and it also does nothing to prevent or deter human/predator interaction. Almost all human/predator interaction is caused by humans doing silly things that attract bears or other predators.
Oh boo-hoo
Oh boo-hoo….darn we won’t have any more parties.
Perry , There’s other ways to protect humans from bears in there environment.
As for trophy hunting ,I suggest a new reality show called trophy Hunter ‘HUNTER’ . It would definitely bring a lot of attention to the butchery of the Bears .Don’t worry we won’t kill the trophy hunters and hang their heads on the wall and let the rest of their carcass rot in the woods .
It would be a lesson of humiliations
Though less despicable, I’d like to know the connections between the snowmobile culture and the BC Liberals. And the BC Floatplane Association, who got access to virtually all lakes in provincial parks just by asking for it.
I am sick and tired of this bullshit . The guide outfitters are responsible for the restrictions on steelhead ,trout , bull trout and dolly varden in rivers and creeks , so there clients can throw a line in any of our rivers and catch fish. The residents of the Northwest should be allowed to harvest these fish. There is more steelhead here now than there ever was. To impose a no retention of these fish / trout and dolly’s , without any data to back it up is wrong.
I am against the grizzly hunt for the simple reason it is wrong to kill any animal only for its hide. If you kill it, eat it. I am a hunter and I hunt for meat not the trophy.
Great comments Sandy.I also am 100% against killing for ego.I am a meat hunter(or at least I used to be)so how about forcing hunters to take the entire carcass out and
use it for their own consumption?this would cut down on the ego hunt at least?????
Tony Brumell Kamloops
Nice bear it’ll make a great rug.
You’re disgusting. Have you ever smelt a bear skin rug? It’s so nasty. I’d like to see these trophy hunters on foot, without a gun, trying to take down a bear! Instead they fly around in helicopters with high powered rifles like cowards!
your not thinking right that’s not what they do at all
It’s acctually illegal to use helicopters during the hunting season to transport hunters , gear , or animal parts . It’s part of the wildlife act and also part of the knollage test for GOABC assistant guide .
Brent would make a great candidate for vivisection…….
LOL!!!
I’d like to see these trophy hunters on foot, without a gun, trying to take down a bear! Instead they fly around in helicopters with high powered rifles like cowards! Humanity makes me sick!
Line the murdering fools up on national TV, show them murdering these magnificent wild creatures in their home territories and remove them from office immediately.
The world is a dangerous place for wildlife and it is not from animal predators but the human predator. The bigger picture is all the trophy hunting that Canada is allowing to take place. We have African Tours Groups bringing hunters from around the world to Canada to hunt big and small game. It is interesting we call it game, as it is no game. Killing to feed your family because of low incomes or no access to fresh protein is one thing, killing to get a rush is another. May God have mercy on their souls.
This is difficult for me.
I opened the link to this post that was enclosed in one of the usual emails that I receive from dogwood, actually ready to issue a bit of a rebuke for unfairly insulting trophy hunters as a group.
A bit of background:
I am an activist, primarily involved in the resistance to the natural resource megaprojects that are being forced through against First Nations opposition, without due process, and in contravention of anything like social or environmental responsibility.
I’m also the son of an outfitter from the NWT, I was weaned on caribou and shot my first firearm when I was 6 years old.
Until most of the outfitting camps of the NWT were shut down by the government as a PR move pretending to be for the preservation of the barren ground caribou herds (despite the real danger being the resource industry development of the tundra and the climate change that is affecting all global ecosystems), he operated with the utmost of ethics, insisting on what is called “fair chase”, and maximum use of any prey taken, be they typical food animals such as caribou or “ticket” trophy animals.
These people do not represent the values that should be associated with trophy hunters (or any group, to be honest) and this insight into their way of “celebrating” their community leaves me with grave concerns as to their overall character.
I am not some “tree hugging hippy” by any means, nor “politically correct” or the host of other derogatory terms used for activists.
Nor am I an “ignorant redneck”, “hick”, or any of the terms used to insult the working class or those who are dealing with the economic world as it unfortunately is without necessarily putting effort into keeping it that way for the sake of greed.
These guys are clowns, and the idea of them having input on British Columbia’s policies at any level concerns me greatly.
That being said, I would like to remind people that the large percentage of hunters both subsistence and trophy, who are respectful of their prey and have an active interest in the health of the environment which supports those creatures, are among the greatest allies that environmentalists can hope for if they have not been alienated by being painted with the same brush as the worst of those who share their interests.
Not all trophy hunters are blood thirsty buffoons, any more than all activists are jobless potheads living off of trust funds.
Instead of competing to take the biggest and best of precious wildlife, please consider trading your high-powered rifles for good cameras. Share these photo trophies with the world and protect the gene pool that propogates these magnificent creatures.
you don’t like hunting don’t you SJs make me want to puke go have a latte and feel better about how meaningless your lives are.
Long before the advent of high powered rifles and helicopters, a natural balance between predator and prey was maintained. So, what has changed? The advent of greedy politicians who can’t be elected on their own merits but by buying votes. Sad isn’t it?
Seems to me that if people want to change policy and our Liberal government is so blatantly “open for business”, the wildlife viewing tourism operators just need to out incentivize the trophy hunters. If wildlife viewing generates 11 times more revenue for the BC Government then this group could organize themselves and double the donations given by the GOABC. If this money was donated with a quiet but clear message that the amount could be increased or cancelled entirely depending on government action/inaction, I believe change is possible. “Kewpie” Clark and the “Lie-berals” are so clearly corrupt and easily bought that the solution is simply “more cash”.
I have supported the Liberals for years, but now I will not vote for them anymore, based purely on their support for trophy hunting. However I have noted that John Horigan of NDP has not come out to support the banning of trophy hunting either! Write to our political leaders and tell them what you think!
I’ve always questioned the name Wildlife Society, even in smaller communities, where every year there is a banquet to feast on the kill… Shouldn’t a Wildlife Society protect wildlife? Our world is in such a mess! It’s so disgusting that city folk from other countries, including the US, come to Canada to kill our wildlife! For sport? My heart aches…
“Trophy”? for what? Because its difficult? No. A high powered rifle with scopes should be able to take a fly out at 250m. Brave? No. The hunters are nowhere near the animal – not close enough for it to be within claw’s reach. Manly? Nope. Not impressive AT ALL. So what is it then? Stupidity, naivety, lack of environmental awareness, morbidity? Yep. By the truck-load.
Thanks, Kai, for the article. Wow. Disgusting on soooo many levels! Bear-viewing opportunities provided to tourists (presumably people who actually love and respect wildlife) makes far more sense than killing….any living being….especially for trophies! Whaat? Grotesque barbarism.
Hunters and politicians . All criminals all around . Case in point .
One would think our elected officials would be protecting one the last wilder places on the planet with our beautiful larger predator animals. These so called ‘hunters’ (cowards) and their guides are not welcome. And what’s up with the wigs? Just what are they joking about?
A black eye for BC’ers
They think this is FUN ?? Sick people out there, Jack W, Cates
All apparently a bunch of redneck racist bullies.
A few simple statements:
I got more information from the comments than from the article itself.
Leaving carcasses to rot is a very bad thing in itself.
Bears are edible and there are people actually hunt them for meat. Those people should be prioritized over trophy hunters that don’t care about those who actually are doing this to eat.
Using powerful weapons to hunt down bears is expensive. That’s my only problem with it. If the method of hunting exceeds the value of the meat, you aren’t doing it right. You’re just a horrible person, and a megalomaniac.
There are people who need to eat. Having tourists that might be extremely rich be able to consume the fish from our rivers over people that might not be able to afford much else is a harmful idea. It’s basically saying that you need to be wealthy to squander the resources of the planet to your whim, which may be true but really should be discouraged.
Even if grizzlies are the top predator, it doesn’t exempt hunters from the fact that they should be acting responsibly about hunting them. Wasting food is a despicable action towards people who might want to eat that stuff.
Finally, there should be more to be done about the first nations groups in Canada. They need to be able to have a decent life with good wages, and honestly merely having the right to fish in their territory isn’t enough. They need better education and an equal opportunity to continue their education to a 6-digit salary as anyone else.
From the housing market to hunting and all other benefits of the residents of British Columbia this Liberal party is ignoring the prosperity of its residents and citizens, taking away our rights and giving or selling to the benefit of foreign interests and powerful business and political friends. For these “political maggots”, there is nothing but money and profits for themselves. A monthly report to British Columbians of what was done for them to be compared to report of what was given to BUSINESS groups should be a standard to live by. What a land where a working resident cannot afford to purchase or rent his own home because of business interests and selfish indifference of its own government.
It would be nice to hear from people who live in communities which are in close proximity to significant bear populations rather than “city slickers”. Bear maulings and/or deaths are significantly higher in National Parks where there is no hunting as opposed to wilderness areas where hunting is sanctioned. In National Parks large tracts of land are restricted access due to bear populations. Do we want that as a general policy? How about foresters, prospectors, miners, farmers and other legitimate land users, would they be exposed to even greater risk if bears were less afraid of human interaction? If there is a correlation between hunting and bear/human interaction then wouldn’t this cost a great deal more to manage all the provincial lands with bear populations? It sounds great to just eliminate bear hunting but it reminds me of the bird watchers that intervened in the duck /goose hunting in the Fraser Valley where the hunters were harassed until they quit hunting causing the farmers to suffer severe crop damage and thus less profitability. So farmers sought other land uses: subdivision, shopping malls, and greenhouses, all of which removed habitat from the birds which were(are) so dependent on it. Rather ironic that the group who loved the birds so much to fight for them were instrumental in wronging them.
It is sickening to see what lengths trophy hunters who like to kill for the fun of it will go.
We can only hope we will see the last of the present government who seem overjoyed at the prospect of selling the heads of our precious wildlife for profit and we end up with rotting corpses.
What a Legacy!!
Ban trophy hunting, this is the 21st century when all wildlife is endangered, as are we with the climate change we have created.
This is disgusting cowardly behavior. They should be ashamed of themselves. These type of hunters don’t have any morals. I’m also a hunter, but not this type. Dressing up like this is childlike.
We seem to suffer from collective amnesia at voting time.
Triple deleting government email, lack of transparency, incompetent mining regulators (the mount Polly disaster) the government attempt to shut down the UBC Therapuedics initiative on behalf of big Pharma, all forgotten. Not to mention the bankrupting of BC hydro the giveaway of water to Nestle, the undermining of the agricultural land reserve and the forced transportation referendum for the lower mainland.
Never mind, I’m voting for the hard hat wearing woman with the big smile. She looks nice and she promises Jobs,Jobs,Jobs!
wow the rich get richer and the land and wildlife pay!
Hey guys, the bears are waking up! Get you rifles, hop in the helicopter, lets go cut some heads off while they’re still half asleep. That’s it, hold his head up a bit higher… click… great picture. Can’t wait to show my buddies when I get home… me and my dead bear. How pathetic.
I am so sorry for our beautiful wildlife being gunned down and laughed at by
cowards. Killing with sophisticated weapons gives the animal zero chance at survival.
You wild animal killers are cowards! Find another sport!
Shame on our ignorant Government too!
The faster the B.C. Liberal Party goes extinct the better off everyone will be…man and beast.
The faster the B.C. Liberal Party goes extinct the better off everyone will be…man and beast.
Mama bear goes out in spring to forage for food, and is shot dead by a hunter – who wants her head and hide for bragging rights to his buddies, for feeling like he conquered nature. …and baby bears do what? Die of starvation. Killing a mother bear is killing her cubs too. These are an endangered species and need to be protected. To all the trophy hunters out there, you are killing whole families when you kill the mother. You are aiding in the destruction of fragile ecosystems. Bears are not a threat to the salmon fishing industry, they are feeding the forest with the salmon they fish. Smaller animals like wolves and fox eat what the bears don’t, and fish is also taken int the forest where it fertilizes the trees. Leave our grizzlies alone.
I support respectful guide trips into the wilderness to see, appreciate and support grizzlies and all the species that live in our forests.
It is laughable that the current Premier & her government have just made a great fuss about protecting domesticated animals while allowing this excrescence to continue. If puppy mills should be outlawed, then surely the slaughter of some of our magnificent wild species to provide a stuffed head to satisfy someone’s vanity or to make a carpet should cease forthwith. The absurd contradiction is so obvious to those with a modicum of good sense.
These guys need to be removed from their positions and soon. Killing anything in BC shows that they are the WRONG people for the job.
Please start a petition to get these guys voted out of office. I will sign it as soon as it shows up on my screen!
Star one yourself.
Death to all trophy hunters and to the government that lets this happen. I hope you all die of a slow and painful death. If you hunt to feed your family that’s fine,but to trophy hunt is bullshit.
While I am not a fan of trophy hunting I have some real problems with this article. The article portrays Scott Ellis and the guide outfitters as buffoons because of their playful antics at a party. If people having fun is buffoonery then I am certainly a bofoon of a high order…and proud of it!!! I happen to know Scott Ellis and while I most certainly do not always agree with him, I do know he is a person who volunteers and works very hard for his community. Shame on this article for it’s highly personal attack.
With respect, I did not see this as “playful antics”. They dressed up and mocked black artists (not my Humor but), they crossed the line when they added the bananas. There is no ambiguity here. It is racist and hurtful but then they enjoy killing beautiful animals for entertainment so I wouldn’t expect sensitivity, or compassion except for their “own kind”. I think it is very sad.
Exactly!
to kill for the pleasure of killing… there is nothing more disgusting and appalling. all these faces in pictures above are the faces of dehumanization.
”this world is a comedy written by a sadistic comedy writer”
These people are a disgrace. The racist behaviour notwithstanding, it’s a sad commentary on this government and what it values: money and power. But carrying out the will of the people? They’re not even interested.
There is no longer a need to kill bears for any reason, NO not even for human stupidity of leaving garbage out…like that recent twit just outside of Vancouver trying to show off a wee scratch he received from a very skinny (his own words) black bear, but the so-called conservation officers, aka trigger happy morons, shot the poor hungry bear with 5 shotgun slugs! Absolutely sickening.
Now we have a bunch of mostly white (assuming relatively rich at the least) folk putting on racist plays killing bears (and other animals) for their “entertainment”? So they can try and brag about how “heroic” they were with guns modeled after some military hardware…Heroic is not the word…but as Chelsea said cowards works, pansies, morons, among others also come to mind.
Another reason why these so-called BC Liberals have got to go! Come on BC, make it happen!
well somebody voted for them,
no body standing to take credit ?
Its a tipical BC THING. We have never had a Goverment that protects our wildlife and that also includes the past NDP Goverments I am sorry to say.
when the cities burn and the plagues are upon us, when food becomes scarce and the heat unbearable. when food riots and violence are common place. when the seas stink of sulfur and produce only jelly fish. when there is no birdsong and keystone species are absent. when our beautiful planet can no longer support life as we know it, will surviving humans ever have the insight to think “well we really messed up”? I feel so sorry for the ignorant people, they obviously have no regard whatsoever for their grandchildren.
The BC governments past and present should hang their heads in shame for allowing this butchering of animals that don’t stand a chance against these inhuman killers, who will they turn their guns on when all the animals are gone???????
The man named B.C.’s top hunting guide for 2015 was months later found guilty of illegally hunting a grizzly with bait.
In March, Martin Thomas was named by the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C. (GOABC) as the recipient of the Leland Award, recognizing “guide professionalism,” at the association’s annual general meeting in Kelowna.
Two weeks before the meeting, charges were sworn against Thomas in connection with a bear-hunting incident in September 2012 in northern B.C., according to filings in the Fort Nelson court registry.
Thomas was charged with hunting grizzly by placing or using bait, in violation of the Wildlife Act, as well as one count of illegally possessing the dead animal.
In June, Thomas was found guilty of using bait to hunt the bear and fined $3,500, at a trial in provincial court in Fort Nelson. He was acquitted on the second charge of possessing the dead grizzly without authorization. He was working as a guide at the time, and was found to be guilty because his American client shot the grizzly, according to the Conservation Officer Service.
Thomas was unavailable for comment, because he’s working as a guide in a remote part of the province until October.
GOABC executive director Scott Ellis said the charges “came to the attention of the GOABC after he won the award.”
The Leland received by Thomas, Ellis said, is “the highest award bestowed on a hunting guide, it’s quite a competition.”
Any of you who say these animals are defensless are ignorant. They are anywhere from 600 to 1300 pounds have 4″ razor sharp claws, and can break you in two with one slap of a hand. They can tip vehicles, catch quads kill elk, moose, you. They can run 50kmh, and stalk humans as prey. They are the only animal that does this. Not saying I agree with the hunt but I do hunt black bear for food and have been attacked. Tell you right now they’re not at all defensless. And also yes the govt is corrupt but do you really think they’re going to be bought by guides and leave the records open for everyone to see come on.
The amount of money given to the Libtards by the GOABC is but a drop in the bucket compared to what Corporate BC donates.
Bear meat including Grizzly bear meat is excellent meat. Not everyone who hunts a Grizzly bear leaves the carcas in the bush to rot. Most of us do infact bring the meat home and feed it to our families.
I personally harvested a Grizzly bear a few years ago and every ounce of meat was brought home and consumed by myself, friends, and family. The meat was excellent, preferable over beef for sure.
Please do not generalize all hunters in to the same group, as most of us do infact eat every bit of meat that is harvested.
That picture of Christy Clark is enough to make anyone sick. The worms keep crawling out of the Liberal cans. Please Greens and NDP, so something concrete to excise this rottenness.
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