REGINA – Animal Justice is calling on the Saskatchewan government to cancel its spring hunt of antlerless elk, warning that the hunt will result in the killing of pregnant elk just weeks before calving.
The province recently issued additional licenses for hunters to kill elk between March 10 and 31 in certain regions, citing concerns over property damage and the need for bovine tuberculosis surveillance. The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, which represents hunters, has also against the move, refusing to open its habitat trust lands for the hunt.
"Inviting hunters to kill elk over the next few weeks is not only wrong but also makes Saskatchewan an outlier," said Alexandra Pester, staff lawyer at Animal Justice. "Other provinces, including Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, generally do not permit elk hunting during or so close to calving season."
In its complaint to the minister of Environment, Animal Justice alleges hunting elk shortly before calving season is neither "reasonable" nor "generally accepted" and could, therefore, cause illegal suffering and distress.
"Randomly killing elk, including pregnant animals, is not an effective way to prevent property damage or to address the risks of bovine tuberculosis in Saskatchewan,". Pester said. “Rather than allowing the cruel killing of pregnant animals, Saskatchewan should focus on habitat restoration and other measures to promote healthy and sustainable wildlife populations in the province.”
