The Exposed Wildlife Conservancy (EWC) said it has discovered an Alberta-wide trapping and killing contest of wolves has been launched by the Alberta Trappers Association (ATA) and the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS). Dubbed the Alberta Ungulate Enhancement Program (AUEP), the ATA and APOS said it and the contest aim to enhance hoofed mammal populations in the province. “The Alberta Ungulate Enhancement Program is not based on science, wildlife biology or ethics,” said EWC co-founder Kim Odland in a Thursday press release. “It’s an excuse for trappers to kill as many wolves as they can this winter under the false premise that killing wolves enhances ungulate populations — presumably so that hunters have more elk, moose, and deer to kill.” Odland said the argument that trapping is necessary for wildlife management like this “is not supported by current science and wildlife killing contests like this are abhorred in modern society.” The Top Wolf Contest offers prizes of $5,000 for the top wolf killed, $3,500 for second prize and $2,000 for third prize. Additionally, the contest pays a bounty of $250 per wolf with no limits on how many are killed in Alberta or in any provincial Wildlife Management Unit.“It's essential to highlight that this program is not likely government-sanctioned and its actions lack scientific support, despite how it may appear,” said EWC co-founder John E. Marriott. “It primarily serves to justify and cover up the actions of trappers.”The EWC said it is launching a national campaign called Trapped in the Past to debunk the popular arguments the trapping industry uses to prop itself up across Canada. With Trapped in the Past, it said it outlines the trapping industry relying on outdated regulations, lies, misinformation, and a controversial loophole in the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) to allow trappers to continue to kill wildlife in enormous numbers each year to support the fashion industry overseas.A trapping license in Alberta to capture and kill animals is easy to obtain, requiring the completion of a weekend course and a $20 fee. Once licensed, trappers can trap on any Registered Fur Management Area (RFMA) or on private land. It pointed out this program, outdated industrial trapping practices prevalent in the industry, and the use of killing neck snares brings to light several questions that must be investigated and answered. These questions are who is funding these programs, is the AUEP sanctioned by the Alberta government, and how are trappers qualified to manage wildlife when they have no formal education and only need to complete a weekend course to become licensed. The AIHTS was signed in 1997 and ratified by Canada in 1999 to establish humane trapping methods, enhance communication and co-operation among affected parties, and facilitate fur trades.The EWC said killing neck snares are cruel, inhumane devices to kill animals. While killing neck snares are ineffective for killing large predators such as wolves, it said they are the most commonly used device in Alberta to trap them. The Fur Institute of Canada and provincial and Canadian governments have said Canada is a signatory on the AIHTS and that the trapping industry traps wild animals humanely. However, Canada only signed it after negotiating killing neck snares not be included in it, leaving the classification of them to the provincial and territorial governments. It requires all killing devices used by signatory nations render at least 80% of animals unconscious leading to death within a five-minute timeframe. Canada was unable to prove they met these requirements. To accommodate Canada’s request neck snares be excluded in the AIHTS, it specified the acceptable time limit for killing traps is to be assessed by the Canadian Furbearer Management Committee during a three-year review period after it was signed. The review has not happened since the signing. EWC said Trapped in the Past addresses the severe shortcomings in Canada’s outdated trapping regulations and their impact on wildlife. Until these regulations are reviewed, EWC said governments and trappers will use them to justify cruel, inhumane practices, allowing them to persist and thrive. It concluded by saying the existence of a bounty on wolves that lacks any scientific, ecological, or human safety justification is unacceptable. It said it believes it is crucial to raise awareness and deepen understanding of this issue at this time. Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said on September 25 about 7,000 Albertans have applied for spots to assist in eliminating problem grizzly bears and elk since the government announced it would form a pool for them to act as public wildlife management responders..Loewen says 7,000 Albertans applied to eliminate problem wildlife such as grizzlies .Because of the large number of applicants, Loewen said it is “a good sign that Albertans want to be involved to manage wildlife in Alberta.” “It’s something that has been long-standing government policy to have Albertans manage wildlife, and I think a lot of people want to be involved with that process,” said Loewen. Alberta Forestry and Parks could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
