Big Wildlife Says Bear Houndsmen “No Better than Michael Vick”

Click here to read the CDFG proposal on line.

Click here to watch video of typical bear hunt with hounds.

SACRAMENTO – Big Wildlife, an international wildlife advocacy organization, said proposals by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) to dramatically expand bear hunting across the state are “scientifically indefensible and inhumane.” Last week, the CDFG released a draft environmental document that included a number of alarming recommendations. For instance, the agency has proposed: increasing the hunt quota from 1,700 to 2,500 bears or eliminating a cap altogether and expanding hunting into other areas of the state, including San Luis Obispo county. Big Wildlife said the CDFG’s plan to permit use of global positioning system (GPS) collars and treeing switches on dogs while bear hunting was especially troubling because “bears would virtually have no escape.” (A treeing switch alerts hunters when hounds have chased a bear up a tree.)

“There is nothing ‘sporting’ about turning a pack of hounds loose on a frightened bear,” said Brian Vincent, Communications Director for Big Wildlife. “Permitting hunters to use GPS collars and treeing switches on the dogs’ collars means bears won’t stand a chance.”

While hunters in California are permitted to employ hounds to pursue bears, they are not yet allowed to use GPS tracking devices on their dogs. At a meeting before the California Fish and Game Commission this week, Big Wildlife will urge the Commission to ban hunting of bears altogether and highlight the problems associated with hound hunting. The wildlife group said hound hunting of bears is:

·       ·         Cruel for both dogs and bears. During a typical hunt with hounds, a trophy hunter releases his dogs from their leashes to pursue bears. Eventually, the frightened bear climbs a tree to escape. The hunter then shoots the animal from the tree. If the bear is not dead when the animal falls to the ground after being shot, the bear may be attacked by the dogs. To defend him/herself or their young, bears will sometimes turn and fight their pursuers – resulting in brutal fights between the dogs and bears. It is not uncommon for hounds to attack bears, especially cubs, and even more common for bears to maim or kill dogs or an entire pack of dogs.

·         Highly stressful to bears and other wildlife. Hounds can pursue their quarry for hours. In two bear-chase studies, scientists noted average chase lengths of 3.2 hours and 1.9 hours with some chases lasting 12 hours and covering 29 kilometers. Long chases can severely stress bears, causing overheating and potential brain damage (Jonkel, Charles. 1992.  On Hunting Bears with Dogs) During chases, mother and young may become permanently separated in which case the young may succumb to starvation, predation or accidental death. In addition, hounds may pursue non-targeted animals, including imperiled species.

·         Associated with poaching. Illegal killing of bears has increased nationwide, fueled by a booming international market for bear parts, including gall bladders and bear paws. A single bear gall bladder can bring in $5,000, creating an incentive for illegally killing of bears. Poaching of wildlife, especially bears, has become epidemic in California. Violations rose from 6,538 in 2003 to 17,840 in 2007. Yet, California has fewer than 300 active-duty game wardens patrolling the state's 100 million acres. California wildlife officials have routinely failed to assess the cumulative impacts of poaching. And legal hunting of bears has provided cover for “piggy-back” poaching activities. As a result, more bears are being killed in California than every before. There have been numerous bear poaching rings broken up in California in recent years. Hound hunters have been at the center of all of these poaching operations.

“Hound hunting sometimes results in violent encounters between dogs and bears. Cubs can be ripped apart by packs of dogs. Or a frightened bear may attack the dogs to defend her young,” said Vincent. “Michael Vick was rightly convicted and sent to jail for forcing dogs to fight. Yet, in California Houndsmen are allowed to pit their dogs against bears. They are no better than Michael Vick.”

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