Hunting season in some Central Alberta regions is now in full swing, and wild-game poachers have never had it so good, because of a lack of law enforcement.
At the same time, more than ever, the general public in isolated areas have good reason to be nervous over the extreme dangers posed by negligent shooting practises.
Poaching tips to Alberta Fish and Wildlife have more than doubled since 2007-2008, yet illegal hunting prosecutions have taken a nosedive by 80 per cent.
Here’s the problem: The provincial government is whittling away at the wildlife enforcement budget, cutting back on and severely restricting staff movements by clamping down on overtime and extra duties.
It’s a grave error that has given poachers room to flourish.
These lawbreakers are grabbing their jacklights — powerful spotlights that plug in to a cigarette lighter socket for night hunting — and loading their rifles and shotguns knowing it’s open season on breaking the laws.
“Alberta appears to be slowly abandoning wildlife protection through gradual underfunding and staff cuts in its Fish and Wildlife programs,” charged Alberta Union of Provincial Employees president Guy Smith.
“We have essentially thrown the doors of Alberta wide open to poachers who can now hunt illegally with impunity in this province,” said Smith. The decline in prosecution “isn’t happening because there are fewer poachers. It’s happening because the province isn’t funding an important conservation program and allowing (wildlife officers) to do their jobs.”
Smith points to our neighbours to the south, Montana. With a population of 975,000, covering 381,000 square km, the state employs 110 fish and wildlife officers.
In contrast, Alberta, with a significantly larger population of 3.7 million people and almost double the area at 662,000 square km, employs just 137 wildlife officers.
“This is only one example of the effects of under funding essential public services in Alberta,” said Smith.
Statistics compiled by the Alberta Conservation Association present an urgent case for increased enforcement. Under the government’s Report-a-Poacher program, 3,624 tips in 2007-2008 resulted in 1,242 charges being laid. In 2008-2009, the tips increased by more than 50 per cent while the number of prosecutions plunged to a scant 235.
In 2009-2010, there were an astounding 7,509 tips — resulting in just 241 charges.
“That Alberta government needs to take immediate measures to hire new Fish and Wildlife officers and fund their operations so that they can properly investigate poaching reports, work over time and travel if necessary, and prosecute the offenders they catch,” said Smith.
Wildlife aside, the paramount concern should be protection of the public.
Particularly frightening is the illegal practice of night hunting, more commonly known among poachers as jacklighting. Driving into a field in total darkness, these poachers scan the tree lines with a hand-held quartz halogen spotlight, then blast away at glowing eyeballs caught in the light.
Do those illuminated eyeballs belong to a deer, a horse or a cow? The shooters don’t know in the heat of the moment.
Worse yet, in total darkness the shooters have no way of judging how close they are to residences. A high-powered bullet can easily penetrate walls of nearby buildings.
For safety sake, and the protection of wildlife, the government is obligated to beef up its wildlife enforcement department.
Rick Zemanek is an Advocate editor.