Orphaned bears need our protection

Re: “Animal rehabilitation advocates discouraged by meeting,” March 13.

It is not a surprise the promise to lift the ban on orphaned bear cubs and change protocols by spring has not happened.

The announcement, which came early in the new year, was welcomed by thousands of Albertans who have been lobbying for changes to be made to old policies. These policies disallow approved wildlife facilities to step in, rescue, rehabilitate and then release orphaned bear cubs back to the wild.

In spite of a petition being taken to the legislature with thousands of signatures, in spite of countless letters, emails and phone calls that have been made, in spite of scientific evidence showing that rehabilitating animals works and is practised in other provinces and countries successfully, the Alberta government continues to choose to euthanize hundreds of animals each year at a cost greater than allowing private facilities to step in.

Alternatively, our government will choose to let an orphaned animal suffer needlessly for months with an injury caused by human interference. With the spring bear hunt imminent, we sadly will see more orphaned bear cubs killed, moved to zoos or left to “let nature take its course.”

We will wait for the promise of new, updated protocols to be put into place in our province someday.

Wanda Fach, Calgary