By Stefania Seccia
Hundreds of angry phone calls, emails and faxes flooded the lines of one of the two B.C. helicopter companies contracted by the province to carry out the gray wolf cull.
Tommy Knowles, Wildlife Defence League spokesman, said it’s the second time this year his group has organized a call, email and fax protest to Bighorn Helicopters, which began Monday.
It’s one of the two companies currently carrying out the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations’ decision to eliminate 184 gray wolves in the South Selkirk and South Peace region in an effort to save the dwindling caribou population.
“The ultimate goal is to get them to drop out of the contract, and to make it harder for the government to find helicopter companies willing to do it,” he said.
“Our goal is to help end the wolf cull and we’re not going to stop calling Bighorn.”
Knowles said during the first call-in to the helicopter company earlier this year, it at first denied involvement but later admitted to it and then released the name of the second helicopter company involved.
“Right now, this is the only company we’re focusing on,” he said. “We’re still trying to confirm another company as to whether or not they’re involved and we’re waiting for confirmation.”
Bighorn Helicopters has three bases, one in Cranbrook, Fernie and Invermere.
When contacted, an employee, who did not share their name, said: “Bighorn Helicopters does not have any comment.”
According to Freedom of Information documents, the contract between the ministry and the two helicopter companies for the Kootenay Region Caribou Recovery plan has a base rate of $1,116 an hour (maximum eight hours day), with net gunning rates at $525 per day. The documents withheld the company names for privacy reasons.
The cap for this year’s contract is $24,900.
The first permit allows for the hunting, trapping and killing of up to 24 grey wolves between Jan. 13 and April 30. It requires the permit holders to ensure the death is as “humane as possible,” in an isolate location, and death is by gunshot to the brain or heart to ensure the animal is not suffering.
The second permit holder is valid from Jan. 21 to April 30.
The ministry’s total budget for the program is $2.1 million over the next five years.