The provincial government has introduced cougar and bear hunting in the southern part of the province.
Saskatchewan was home to grizzly bears and cougars until agriculture took over the landscape. Now cougars are making a comeback.
“There were cougars in Saskatchewan at one time before settlement by Europeans,” said Chuck Lees with Saskatchewan Environment. “They were almost eradicated at one point in time, but we do see them coming back.”
The government doesn’t know how many cougars are currently in the grain belt, but said there are enough to allow trapping in the southern part of the province for the first time in decades.
“We want to be careful as we implement any kind of harvest opportunity,” Lees said. “We think trapping is a way to do that.”
Black bears will also be trapped in the south for the first time in years.
The move to trapping has its critics.
“A trapper can legally leave those traps set where an animal can wander in and be caught by his or her leg and not be found for up to five days,” said Camille Lavchuk with Animal Defence. “There is a five-day limit in some areas on when trappers must even check those traps to see if animals have been caught, so that allows for just serious horrific suffering.”
The number of bears and cougars killed will be monitored to make sure neither is completely eradicated in the province.
Based on a report by CTV Regina's Wayne Mantyka
