Media Advisory
Press Conference
Wednesday, April 28, 1999
Winnipeg Humane Society
5 Kent Street
11:00 AM
April 27, 1999 (Winnipeg) - A Manitoba-wide campaign to end the needless slaughter of nursing mother black bears and the orphaning of their cubs will be launched tomorrow at a press conference to be held by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Winnipeg Humane Society. Yesterday marked the start of the Spring Bear Hunt in Manitoba, a hunt that has traditionally resulted in the orphaning of and eventual death of many bear cubs in the province. As many as 1000 nursing bears are killed annually at this time including nursing mothers whose cubs will be orphaned and die as a result of prolonged starvation. According to government statistics, 100-150 cubs were orphaned last year in Manitoba due to this unethical practice.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) recently won a battle over this issue in Ontario with a provincial ban on the unethical spring hunt. Tomorrow morning, the Winnipeg Humane Society along with the IFAW will host a news conference to demand action on this issue in Manitoba. Video and audio footage of a Spring Bear Hunt, including optics of hunt scenes and bait sites, will be available to reporters.
For more information contact:
Vicki Burns, Executive Director, Winnipeg Humane Society
Asha Bhat, Communications Coordinator, IFAW
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