Thursday

145 Black Bears Killed In Alberta Oil Sands

The Alberta Oil Sands in Canada have been called “the most destructive project on earth” and now with the killing of wildlife in the area that title is doubly true. In the highest cull in recent history, the clash between industry and wildlife in Alberta’s oil sands took a steep toll on black bears last year. 145 of the bears were killed by Fish and Wildlife conservation officers. Nearly half of the black bears were shot after they were attracted to oil sands camps in the Fort McMurray region by food and garbage. Another 51 were shot on residential properties. These killings nearly doubled from the year before.

Mike Hudema of Greenpeace commented about the culling, “It’s a very disturbing fact to hear and it’s one more cost of oil sands development that we need to look at…the fact that these numbers are so high is definitely very worrying.” However Travis Davies, a spokesman for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers counter commented that , “Any kind of wildlife fatality is too many for these companies from their perspective and obviously they take it seriously, it’s just a matter of a high number of bears in the area.” But environment and wildlife conservation groups remain outraged by the number of black bear killings. They are blaming the deaths on lax garbage management and a lack of proper monitoring and regulation by the provincial government.

The oil sands have long been under fire for how much they contribute to Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. According to a secret federal memo that was exposed through access to information, emissions growth from the oil sands is projected to be greater over the next decade than all other Canadian economic sectors combined. But the problem of wildlife impacts is now getting more attention and any future plans to kill off the wildlife such as the black bears or the most recent plan to poison the wolves must be stopped.

Watch a YouTube video below of a black bear foraging for garbage at the Wapasu Creek Lodge, a big facility that houses workers on projects in the northeast area of the Athabasca oil sands.





Responses to "Canada's cull of a 145 black bears in the Alberta oil sands causes outrage"

  1. Mary says:

    Its disgusting and just reinforces the fact that the oil sands project should be banned.

  2. George M. Litinski says:

    Man's irresponsibility and cruelty to his fellow Man and to Nature has no bounds. But there will be a time of reckoning.

  3. Sherrel Stephenson says:

    Totally unacceptable! Bears, especially black bears, are a joy to watch. It will be a pitiful world when the only place one will see wildlife is in a zoo. I am beginning to hate humanity (if that's what you want to call it).

  4. Anonymous says:

    This is an outrage. The killing of wildlife needs to be stopped.

  5. Anonymous says:

    No respect of mother nature!!They where here first,not the humans.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Whom ever is responsible for Alberta oil sands --> should experience the day to day tragedy that the Animals/wild-life have to endure in order to survive! Some money hungry humans suk!!!!!

  7. Anonymous says:

    most destructive project on earth? guess that doesn't count genocides, china's economic boom, the horrors going on in africa, japan's recent earthquake, etc.. I'm tired of people jumping on every righteous bandwagon while sitting at their computers made of heavy metals and petroleum plastics powered by coal burning electric plants, hydro electric dams, or some other form of power generation. go back to the stone age if you don't like industry.

  8. M says:

    this is outrageous- If most of our wildlife was gone, only left in zoos, would it be worth living-? I think not! If we were the ones going extinct, wouldn't we do everything possible to prevent that? What makes us superior to the right to life over other lifeforms? news media- politics are all over "pro-life" issues, but no one puts this issue to saving our wildlife.

  9. I'm starting to wonder about Canadians. Everything from horse slaughter to to this. Do they truly believe humans are the only deserving inhabitants of this planet.
    repost for lots of typos

  10. spirit of the bear
    i am the spirit of the bear
    and i am in such prolonged,
    deep pain
    some humans out there
    think we bears are here
    to entertain
    to dance in the circus
    to be baited and tormented
    or our parts used for medicine
    by those humans, demented
    we belong to the forests,
    to the mountains and streams
    this is supposed to be our reality
    not just in our dreams

  11. Anonymous says:

    @Anonymous
    "go back to the stone age if you don't like industry."

    I keep hearing people like you echo that sentiment and I find it pathetic and ridiculous that being your defense for these atrocities. You can live with many amenities of our current age while not completely spoiling our ecosystem, but I guess for a simpleton like yourself you see no other way.

  12. Mchooksis says:

    "You can live with many amenities of our current age while not completely spoiling our ecosystem, but I guess for a simpleton like yourself you see no other way."

    Sorry Mr anonymous this is just not true. SOME of us could live without spoiling the environment, but take that to 7 billion of us (and rising), and it is just not possible. The vast majority of humans living on this planet are there because of the amenities generated by the eco-destructive oil based economy, the green revolution, pouring chemicals all over our plants and land, the material "wealth" that enables us to live longer healthier lives, and finally the HUGE eco destruction to make way for our homes, and the towns villages and cities in which we all live. Without these the population would not be sustainable and would become a lot smaller. Whether or not this is a good thing is a different argument

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