Earth Equity News

Canadians Urge U.S. to Allow Polar Bear Sports Hunting. By H. Josef Hebert, AP, June 23, 2008. "Officials from northern Canada were in Washington on Monday to [argue that] U.S. hunters [should continue to be allowed] to kill polar bears for sport. The politicians from Canada's Northwest Territory asked Interior Department officials to allow U.S. sportsmen to still bring back polar bear hides after their hunts in Canada's Arctic region, despite the increased protection now afforded the bear under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. bans sport hunting of polar bears, but Canada does not... This 'will effectively wipe out our sports hunting industry,' Bob McLeod, the Northwest Territory's minister for energy, industry and tourism, said Monday... [adding that] it will wipe out most of the income for people living in a handful of villages along the province's Arctic coast... 'The bottom line is that people rely on this. This is income for the whole year,' said Jackie Jacobson, who represents the far northern area in [Canada's] provincial legislature."