Dear Hon. Minister Donaldson:
I call on your government to bring an immediate halt to hunting and trapping in areas impacted by wildfires until you have determined the health of animal populations in these areas. The Chief of the Tl’etinqox First Nation has asked his community to forego hunting this year and other hunters should be required to do the same if necessary. Many animals may have lost their lives to the wildfires, and those who survived may have experienced severe distress as a result of having to outrun the fires.
If your government has already evaluated the health of the wildlife populations in areas impacted by wildfires, please make a public statement to that effect so people know that is the case. If the health of the animal populations has not yet been determined, then I strongly believe that hunting and trapping should be closed until it is.
I look forward to your response about whether your government has determined the health of animal populations in areas impacted by wildfires and, if so, what you found.
Harvey Stark, West Kelowna