A shocking investigation in Canada exposed how tens of thousands of black bears are killed each year in North America—often in front of their cubs, who were left orphaned. Bear hunting in Canada involves an indefensible practice known as "baiting and shooting." PETA sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper asking him to support a ban on the baiting of black bears.
While there were probably once as many as 2 million black bears in North America, the population has severely declined. By current estimates, there are fewer than 600,000 living today. The once-wild places that are home to these peaceful animals are disappearing altogether, and black bears continue to suffer from unnatural deaths and terrible cruelty at the hands of "bait and shoot" hunters.
Hunters place bait in a barrel to attract the bears, and when these intelligent, gentle, and curious animals come to eat, they are shot—often several times before they die. Many bears escape wounded and face a slow death from blood loss, gangrene, or other infections, dehydration, or starvation.
Mother bears who are killed leave behind orphaned cubs who are completely dependent on them for food during their first 17 months, and when left in the wilderness alone, they often cannot survive. In many areas there are few restrictions against shooting mother bears with nursing cubs, leading to the destruction of entire families.
Because of the barbaric nature of bear baiting, it has been banned in British Columbia and many U.S. states. Many Canadians and numerous hunting and conservation groups agree that this is a cruel and unsportsmanlike practice, yet black bears continue to be mercilessly slaughtered in Canada.
Please join us in contacting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and urge him to ban bear baiting in Canada. If you are a Canadian resident, please ask your Member of Parliament to help end bear baiting in your province.
Personalized letters always work best. Feel free to use the following text, but your message will carry more weight if you write your own customized message and subject line.
Send an e-mail, letter, or fax to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and urge him to support a nationwide ban on the cruel practice of bear baiting:
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington St.
Ottawa, ON K1A OA2
Canada
613-992-4211
613-941-6900 (fax)
