The British Columbia government spent more than $10 million on the controversial wolf cull that began in 2015, according to documents obtained by CBC through a freedom of information request.
The aerial wolf reduction program involves shooting wildlife from a helicopter. According to the province, this approach is the most effective and humane to reduce the wolf population in areas where threatened or endangered caribou occur.
The province also confirms that the cost of the program between 2014 and April 25, 2023 was exactly $10,174,900. She adds that these costs include wolf and cougar extermination, aircraft costs, contractors, equipment, fuel, housing and other operational costs.
According to British Columbia's Ministry of Water, Land and Resources, a total of 1,944 wolves have been killed since 2015. In an email sent to CBC, the government claims predator reduction measures in 13 of the province's 54 caribou herds have helped stabilize or increase their populations.
Predator management is part of the province's caribou recovery program, which aims to revive the dwindling animal population. The plan also includes habitat protection initiatives.
How are wolves killed?
To get a clearer picture of wolf killings in the province, CBC requested access to information from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resources Management.
The request: Obtain internal documents written between Jan. 1, 2014 and April 25, 2023, detailing the deaths of every wolf as part of the province's caribou recovery program. The request also included photos and videos of dead wolves.
Documents received include specific plans to kill wolves and capture caribou for monitoring purposes from January to March 2020 and February to March 2021 in areas with caribou herds in Tweedsmuir-Entiako, Itcha-Ilgachuz and Quesnel Highland. Also included are several pages tracking wolf killings in unspecified regions during the winter months between December 2018 and mid-March 2023.
These documents show that helicopter gunners use semi-automatic rifles with red dot sights to precisely kill wolves so that they die quickly. If the first shot is not fatal, more will follow to reach targeted areas and ensure the death of the animal.
Open in full screen mode
Wolf was shot in British Columbia's provincial program
Photo: Government of British Columbia
Wolves are visually observed from as close a distance as possible from a hovering helicopter for visual signs of movement (e.g. respiratory effort or movement) to confirm death before proceeding to the following phase, as we read in the documents.
Any animal shot and not lying down is tracked until the shooter is able to kill it as quickly and humanely as possible.
Once a pack is eliminated, at least half of the carcasses are inspected to document the location of the shooting and provide photos to the project manager and the provincial wildlife veterinarian, the documents say.
The government claims that the notes are recorded by the ministry's professional biologists who conduct and monitor field activities in designated treatment areas across the province.
Open in full screen mode
The killing of wolves to protect caribou herds is a major concern.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Nathan Denette
Great concerns.
Attorney Rebeka Breder, who works with Pacific Wild, a group that campaigns against the killing of wolves, says she has serious concerns [au sujet de la façon dont] The wolves are slaughtered. According to her, the documents claim that her massacre was cruel.
It was simply illogical to believe that these massacres resulted in instant death without any suffering, she said.
She believes helicopter gunners are too experienced to determine whether the animal died immediately or bled to death, especially in cases where the first shot does not penetrate the brain or a vital organ.
The ministry said in an email that years of research has shown that reducing predation is an effective short-term measure to reverse declines in caribou populations and that its approach is based on science and management principles.
With information from Michelle Morton