Letter to the Editor

I am absolutely appalled at the senseless cull and killing of perfectly healthy deer in Kimberley under the guise of research for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

There is obviously a lack of communication and transparency and we are left with a broken system. Public trust and confidence in wildlife stewardship no longer exists. The World Wildlife Foundation released a report stating Canada has a 46% decline in our wildlife population. Canada has a dismal record when it comes to protecting animals from cruelty and neglect.

The Wildlife Act has done nothing to promote biodiversity and co-existence and address the ethical treatment of animals. The animal cruelty sections of the Criminal code have remained the same since 1892! How can you justify over $100,000 for a deer cull when people are struggling to pay for groceries and rent?

Wildlife and habitat data including research findings should be accessible to everyone. Four deer in a 150 km radius far away from Kimberley does not justify killing perfectly healthy deer.

We also investigated funding directed to wildlife organizations. This investigation exposed a flawed and biased process with little or no money going directly to the conservation and preservation of our wildlife. Wildlife is our most valuable resource in the Kootenay region and draws many tourists. Shame on the federal, provincial and municipal governments for not taking a more modern, positive approach in wildlife management.

The hundreds of thousands of dollars used to cull and kill the deer could have been used for conservation and preservation.

Where is the accountability?

M.A. Rattray,

Kimberley

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