If the provincial government is serious about wildlife conservation, penalties for poaching should act as an actual deterrent.
Unfortunately, with the only thing lower than the paltry fines imposed on illegal hunts being the chances of actually getting caught poaching, current penalties represent little more than a cost of doing business for those who earn more in a matter of days than most of us make in a year.
After all, someone who can casually drop anywhere in the ballpark of $100,000 for an outfitter-guided horseback tour into the bush to bag a coveted trophy is extremely unlikely to be remotely deterred by a measly few thousand dollar fine.
Especially when they know chances are, they’ll get away with it.
In the span of just a few months, three bighorn rams were poached not only during closed season, but even worse, in the protected sanctuary of the Ya Ha Tinda wildlife corridor.
Only one instance resulted in a guilty party being held accountable. And that was solely thanks to an anonymous tipster who was in the right place at the right time to get detailed enough information for Fish and Wildlife officers to launch an investigation.
More often than not, however, there is either insufficient information for authorities to secure a conviction or offenders go unnoticed and simply aren’t reported at all.
Over the last six years in the Ya Ha Tinda wildlife corridor alone, the district Fish and Wildlife office has logged 26 occurrences of animals being shot; not just rams but for example also elk, white tail and mule deer, said Sgt. Levi Neufeld.
“Out of those we’ve had three convictions,” he told the Albertan.
Those numbers do not bode well for wild animals in what is supposed to be a protected sanctuary.
So it’s hard to take seriously any claims the government makes about being committed to wildlife conservation when so little is actually done to meaningfully deter poaching in a wildlife corridor.
Perhaps fines alone are the wrong approach. We don’t just fine impaired motorists; depending on the severity of their offence we suspend their drivers’ licence and in some cases take away their vehicle as well.
Maybe that’s something to consider. Some of these poachers have such padded bank accounts and are so financially insulated that they’d rather take a larger fine than receive a suspension from hunting.
Neufeld said he’s seen some individuals gladly pay thousands of dollars more in fines just to avoid being handed a suspension from hunting.
“They’ve asked for a higher penalty to allow for that.”
In other words, while fines are clearly far too low to act as a deterrent, suspensions might just give would-be poachers pause before pulling the trigger.
Actions speak louder than words. So until the government takes more meaningful steps to deter illegal hunts, take with a big grain of salt any pretty words they offer about their commitment to preserving wildlife.
And in the meantime, if you should happen upon a poacher who’s unaware of your presence, be sure to take the most detailed information possible – especially licence plate numbers of any vehicles involved – and call the Report a Poacher line, 1-800-642-3800, at your earliest opportunity
