Growing opposition to the OMNR's policies and practices in managing wildlife.

University of Waterloo has been heavily criticized for trapping and killing four beavers on campus. On advice from the MNR, a trapper was hired to kill the beavers using a conibear trap. "The conibear trap is a strong box that is set so that beavers swim through it, said Bill Murch, the information officer for the Ministry of Natural Resources' Guelph office.Then the sides of the trap come down and generally hit the animal in the back of their neck, in most cases breaking the beaver's spine. If that doesn't occur, there's "severe shock and trauma to the animal and it quickly succumbs." MNR considers this the most humane method of dealing with beavers. No effort whatsoever was put into non-lethal solutions such as protecting trees with wire mesh.

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Nov. 26, 2006 - There is growing opposition in Ontario to the Ministry of Natural Resources policies and practices in managing wildlife.

This growing opposition is evidenced by:

• the public anger expressed over the out-dated policies of the MNR in dealing with the recent beaver issue at the University of Waterloo. Full story.
   
• the continuing opposition to the Ministry's unwarranted restrictions that have eliminated progressive wildlife rehabilitation services across the province. Details.
   
• through well-documented and highly critical responses from numerous environmental and animal welfare organizations to the Ministry's proposed Strategy for Preventing and Managing Human-Wildlife Conflicts - EBR PB06E6018 and the Strategy for Preventing and Managing Human-Deer Conflicts - EBR PB06E6017.
  
  Click to read EBR responses from:
  » 11 Environmental and Animal Welfare Organizations
  » Volunteer Wildlife Custodians
  » Ontario Non-Hunting Landowners Association
  » Ontario 4 Wildlife

This debate will become more prominent as extensive development eliminates natural habitat and it will pit agencies like the MNR whose budgets rely on licensing fees from outdated wildlife management tactics against a growing number of grassroots environmental groups and individual citizens looking for more effective and progressive solutions.

Background information:

MNR Press release: Province works to prevent human-wildlife conflicts - Public Input requested on draft strategies
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/csb/news/2006/sep29nr_06.html