Trophy hunting 'threatens Canada's spirit bear'

Trophy hunting is threatening Canada's spirit bears, otherwise known as Kermodes, with extinction, an expert has warned.

According to Simon Jackson, founder and chairman of the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition (SBYC), Kermodes in Canada's Great Bear Rainforest on Canada's west coast could be endangered if conservation efforts are not stepped up.

Writing in the Vancouver Sun, he highlighted the urgency of the situation, pointing out that fewer than 400 Kermodes are left.

"Although progress has been made, the bears of the Great Bear [Rainforest] remain endangered, along with all of the goodwill that has been created to date," Mr Jackson commented.

He added that the trophy hunting of bears in the region amounts to poor management, is economically untenable and "runs against the grain of public opinion".

According to the SBYC, over the years, the spirit bear's gene pool has been diluted and its numbers have decreased in the areas where it was once commonly found.

Written by Sandra Mann

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