About 300 grizzlies are killed by hunters in British Columbia each year

Nov 8, 2013 21:36 GMT  ·  By
Researchers warn grizzly bears in British Columbia might be threatened by overhunting
   Researchers warn grizzly bears in British Columbia might be threatened by overhunting

A new paper in this week's issue of the journal PLOS ONE documents the impact of hunting on British Columbia's grizzly bears population.

Thus, researchers argue that, although local high officials and authorities maintain that hunting practices do not threaten this species in any way, this might not be the case.

On the contrary, evidence suggests that grizzly bears are overhunted in several of the province's regions, and that, in time, this could cause a worrying drop in the species' overall headcount.

According to Live Science, the wildlife researchers who looked into this issue say that, as far as they could tell, the number of grizzly bears killed annually surpasses the local quotas in roughly half of the areas where hunting is allowed.

“It does cast some doubt that management is safeguarding the future of these populations,” says study co-author Kyle Artelle.

British Columbia is home to about 15,000 grizzly bears, 300 of which are believed to be killed by trophy hunters yearly.