In early 2024, a Wyoming hunter named Cody Roberts ran down a young wolf on a snowmobile, muzzled it, tortured it, and then paraded it around a bar before killing it. Roberts was then charged a $250 fee for violating state laws prohibiting the possession of live wildlife¹.

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The laws surrounding wolves are limited at best. Here in Canada, there are minimal regulations and limits on how many wolves can be hunted or trapped. For instance, there are universally no trapping limits for wolves in Canada and wolf hunting bag limits range from 1 to no limit, depending on the area (see section 3.4 for details). The Alberta and British Columbia governments are also using Canadian taxpayer dollars to cull hundreds of wolves every year in the name of caribou recovery² ³. Wolves are not classified as sentient beings in Canada which means that they are viewed as property, further limiting their rights in Canadian law.

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The rights of wolves are similar in the United States, which is evident by the lack of justice the wolf mentioned above received in the hands of Roberts and United States regulatory bodies.

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Wolves are controversial and are typically either loved or loathed. Those who hate wolves treat wolves as less than man, only worthy of being killed for sport or in the name of wildlife management’ (i.e. through trapping, culling, hunting, etc.)⁴. Many stakeholders are opposed to changes in government regulations, such as having wolves on the Endangered species list and stricter restrictions surrounding hunting and trapping,  and resisted efforts to re-establish wolf populations in areas from which they’ve been extirpated⁵. 

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Some view wolves as scientific data, something to be managed and monitored. These wolves are collared, tracked, counted, and relocated for research⁴. Others view themselves superior to wolves. This superiority grants them the rights to torture and abuse fur-bearing animals through the use of neck snares. Or, in this case, like Roberts who injured, tortured, and flaunted his animal abuse efforts towards this wolf because he is a trophy hunter and that is his right.

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Exposed Wildlife Conservancy views wolves as they are: a keystone species that are critical for healthy habitats and as pack animals who are sentient beings. Will you join us in giving wolves a voice?

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If you are in the United States, follow the calls to actions of the many organizations advocating for change and justice for this wolf and the many other fur-bearing animals who are subjected to similar animal cruelty and abuse.

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If you are in Canada, join our efforts as we advocate for change in how wolves are managed and regulated in our nation.

Without certain predators, the biodiversity of our world would be drastically reduced¹. From controlling prey population grazing patterns to preventing erosion of river banks, the vitality of predators, such as wolves, has a direct cascading effect and impact on every other aspect of the ecosystem. This is a result of wolves being a keystone species. As a keystone species, wolves play an irreplaceable role in maintaining the balance of the environment. In other words, nothing other than wolves can fulfill the same ecological role and provide the same benefits. From elk to beavers to songbirds, the removal and subsequent absence of wolves dramatically alter every other aspect of its ecosystem. 

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Canada has been at war with wolves since the early 1700s when bounties, which are rewards offered for capturing or killing animals, were placed on wolves². In Alberta and British Columbia, bounties started in 1899 and in the 1900s, respectively². Since then, bounties have expanded to include hunting and trapping strategies, often employed by the government, and have been utilized in attempts to exterminate wolves from western Canada. In 2005, the Government of Alberta approved the culling of wolves as an effective wildlife management strategy³. Although wolves have been culled in British Columbia since the 1980s, it has been specifically used as a province-wide caribou recovery strategy since 2014⁴ ⁵.  The goal? To eliminate 80% of the provincial wolf population to restore endangered caribou populations⁴ ⁵. 

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Despite the vital role wolves have in our ecosystems as a keystone species, 463 were killed in British Columbia during the winter of 2020 and 237 were killed in the winter of 2021 through this lethal wolf culling program⁶ ⁷. At the basic level, culling is a mass genocide of animals who are unable to defend themselves. Wolf culling, which is also known as aerial wolf control, involves shooting wolves from a fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter⁸. Wolf packs are often found by outfitting radio collars on one wolf then using that wolf to track down and kill the members of that wolf's pack⁹. The radio-collared wolf, called a Judas wolf, is spared from this tragedy so that any new pack member that that wolf attracts can also be lethally removed⁵ ⁸. 

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In documents released to The Fur-Bearers by a freedom of information request, it has been revealed that the British Columbia government is using wolf pups as bait to track them back to their pack and cull them. Here is an excerpt from those documents released by the British Columbia government to The Fur-Bearers⁹:

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In one report, a black female wolf pup identified by the contractors as #81234 (who we are naming Nadina after a mountain in the region where she was killed) was radio-collared on January 29, 2022. The contractors tracked and shot the seven wolves in her pack, but left Nadina alive. Six weeks later, on March 16, 2022, the contractors found her again. She was traveling with another black wolf pup. When the pair of wolf pups were spotted, the contractors killed both, later retrieving the radio collar from Nadina’s dead body.

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Wolf culling is implemented in the winter so that wolves are easier to locate by following their tracks in the snow⁵. Any remaining wolves that were not killed or located during this aerial shooting are then baited with poison, historically Strychnine which is a lethal poison, to ensure death¹⁰. Further details on strychnine poisoning are included in the next section. 

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There are several reasons why wolf culling is not an effective wildlife management strategy. 

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First, wolves are keystone species. Removing wolves from the ecosystem destabilizes the predator-prey relationship, leading to imbalances within the ecosystems. An example of this is Yellowstone National Park where wolves were removed from the ecosystem and it began to collapse due to overgrazing of prey, erosion of rivers, and the disappearance of several species. 

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Second, a study conducted by the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations in 2014 indicated that there is a significant knowledge gap of the role wolves play in British Columbia’s ecosystems¹¹. Thus, the British Columbia government has approved the mass killing of wolves despite this significant knowledge gap and not knowing the long-term consequences of culling. 

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Third, studies have shown other factors leading to the decline of caribou populations, such as the logging, oil and gas industries, which remove and degrade caribou habitat and increase wolves' access to caribou herds¹¹. 

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Fourth, wolf culling involves shooting a moving animal from a plane or helicopter. This is prone to error, especially if the shooter wounds but does not kill the animal, causing unnecessary pain and a slow death¹³. It is also not guaranteed that the shooter does not kill another animal if the shot is missed. 

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Fifth, there is limited information available on the long term implications of wolf culling for both wolf populations, caribou recovery, and habitat sustainability. 

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These factors, combined with the ethical and humane implications of wolf culling, are worth exploring further. This includes writing letters to your local representatives, including Canada’s Wildlife Management Committee, to express your concerns regarding this practice…

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Learn about wolf culling by watching our episode: Canada's WAR on WOLVES - The Alberta Wolf Cull

Strychnine poison has historically been used in Canada as a wildlife management tool, often in conjunction with wolf culling. It is used in meat bait to kill wolves, coyotes or bears in order to prevent predation of wildlife populations threatened with extirpation or those wildlife populations that are economically or ecologically important, such as woodland caribou populations, and to prevent human-predator conflicts (i.e., predation of domestic animals such as livestock and attacks on humans)¹. Bait sites must be checked every 7 days. However, records from 2018 show average check time was 9 days up to as much as 2 weeks². More than 20% of bait sites in Alberta were not able to be inspected for up to 3 months due to weather². 

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In 2005-2018, 225 wolves were killed from strychnine in addition to those who died from aerial culls³. In 2018, a study showed that one single poisoned wolf, resulted in the death of at least one grizzly bear, a great grey owl, 8 ravens, 2 coyotes, and 5 foxes⁴. Historically, it is found that more non-wolves are killed with strychnine than wolves are³. 

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Strychnine poison has devastating effects on the environment. Its use in Alberta  has been attributed to the extirpation of fisher in central Alberta, decline of wolverine in northern Alberta, endangering swift foxes, decreasing American Badger populations which is a species of special concern, and negatively affecting raptors and cougar populations². A study of strychnine poisoning at a wolf bait site showed that at least 91 ravens and 78 other carnivores were also poisoned,  including 6 lynx, 31 foxes, 36 coyotes, 4 fishers, 8 martens and 4 weasels⁵.

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Strychnine was used for large-scale extermination of Richardson’s ground squirrels in the Canadian prairies. However, the underground bait was dug up and resulted in numerous poisonings of dogs⁶. The environmental risk of the use of strychnine to control Richardson's ground squirrel was considered unacceptable and the use of strychnine was canceled by Health Canada under its Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), which regulates strychnine, to control ground squirrels due to environmental risks of concern for non-target organisms, including species at risk⁷.

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Strychnine is a lethal poison with serious side-effects. Even the smallest drop of strychnine begins to take effect within minutes but can last hours or a full day before the animal dies². The first phase of strychnine effects in an animal includes apprehension, nervousness, rapid breathing, drooling, tenseness, and stiffness². Next is severe tetanic seizures that occur spontaneously or through stimulus, such as sound, light, and touch². The seizures become more severe and longer and relaxation between convulsions become less frequent². The poisoned animal’s head eventually pulls back and front legs stiffen to a ‘sawhorse’ stance². Eventually, hyperthermia sets in and spasms of the diaphragm and respiratory muscles occur as these muscles are prevented from relaxing². The animal is conscious during each of these stages until it eventually dies, hours or a day later from exhaustion or asphyxiation². 

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Due to the excruciatingly painful death that results from strychnine, it was banned in the United States in 1972 and Europe in 2006². In early 2024, after a period of public consultation, Health Canada announced the complete ban of strychnine poison across the nation⁸. 

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The banning of strychnine poisoning across Canada is an incredible example of how giving wildlife a voice makes a difference. By using your voice on behalf of wildlife we can make a difference for how they are managed in Canada. We encourage you to continue giving wildlife a voice, speaking on their behalf, and pushing for reform on how wildlife is managed to better reflect society’s modern values and perspectives to wildlife. 

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Learn more about Strychnine poisoning here: Poisoned Earth - A Documentary by Andrew Budziak

Compound 1080 is another poison that is used to manage wildlife in Canada. Compound 1080, or sodium fluoroacetate, is a highly toxic poison which is used as a wolf and coyote management technique¹ ². In other words, Compound 1080 is a predacide used to kill wildlife that are suspected of livestock depredation¹. It is regulated under Canada’s federal Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) and is only used in the province of Alberta and Saskatchewan¹ ². 

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The World Health Organization classifies Compound 1080 as a Category 1a poision³. This is the most toxic category of poisons and is labeled as ‘Extremely Hazardous’³. In the United States, Compound 1080 is classified as a ‘super poison’³. Despite these classifications in other countries, Canada classified Compound 1080 as a restricted animal toxicant (poison)⁴. Assessments from Health Canada indicate that Compound 1080 meets the requirements for protection of human health and the environment⁴. Accordingly, the Government of Alberta has relinquished their responsibility to monitor and inspect the use of Compound 1080 throughout the province³. Instead, local municipal governments assume the responsibility of monitoring this predacide and training landowners on the proper use of it³. However, this has resulted in limited monitoring of the actual use and effects of Compound 1080. 

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There are two ways to administer Compound 1080 in Canada: as meat baits containing tablets or as a collar device on livestock containing liquid Compound 1080². Mammals, such as wolves, coyotes, and dogs, are the most sensitive species to this poison but it is also highly toxic to birds and mammals². Clinical signs of 1080 poisoning are usually noticed within half an hour of ingestion, although symptoms can take more than 6 hours to manifest⁵. Initial symptoms include nausea, vomiting, anxiety, diarrhea and shaking⁵ ⁶. Next are symptoms of frenzied behaviour including running and screaming fits, uncontrolled paddling and seizures, followed by total collapse and death from lack of oxygen to the brain⁵. 

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Non-targeted animals have been affected by Compound 1080. This includes population declines in species such as swift foxes and black-footed ferrets in areas where the poison is frequently used³. Other non-target species have included native small mammals, owls, hawks, other birds of prey, scavengers including endangered species of vulture, ravens, magpies, seed eating birds, insectivorous birds, bobcats, and domestic dogs³. These animals may be affected by scavenging on poisoned carcasses, causing secondary poisoning³. Other animals may then eat those carcasses, being poisoned themselves. 

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Evidently, Compound 1080 is a highly toxic poison with severe environmental effects. Learn more about Compound 1080 and get involved in the efforts to ban this poison in Canada through the We Howl Organization here.

Management of wolves falls under Provincial and Territorial jurisdiction. Therefore, hunting and trapping limits imposed vary by jurisdiction. In Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick wolves are extirpated, no longer present, or extinct¹ ² ³. As a result, there are no regulations regarding hunting or trapping of wolves. 

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Trophy hunting is defined as⁴: 

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“The hunting for one or more individuals of a particular species with specific desired characteristics (such as large size or antlers) with the payment of a fee by a hunter for a hunting experience and trophy.”

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The term trophy hunting is not used in any provincial hunting legislation or provincial hunting guides. However, the term “big game” is used in several provinces for specific species, which generally requires a license application for a big game draw (for example moose). Wolves are considered: 

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• big game in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon (requiring a big game or wolf license)
• big game in British Columbia (requiring a hunting license) 
• small game in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Ontario (requiring a small game/wolf shooting license or small game hunting license)

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Hunting and trapping are regulated through Provincial and Territorial Government Acts and Regulations with regular updates through hunting and trapping guides. The hunting and trapping guides provide details on:

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• Licenses 
• Education Courses required
• Regulations on hunting and trapping
• Bag limits
• Seasons
• Requirement to submit information or parts animals

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The latest guides addressing wolves are:

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• Newfoundland and Labrador Hunting & Trapping Guide (2023 to 2024)
• Quebec Sport Hunting Regulations and Trapping Regulations
• Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary (2023 to 2024) and Ontario Trapping Regulations Summary
• Manitoba Hunting Guide (2023) and Trapping Guide (2023 to 2024)
• Saskatchewan Hunters and Trappers Guide (2023 to 2024)
• Alberta Hunting Regulations (2023) and Trapping Regulations (2022 to 2023)
• British Columbia Hunting & Trapping Synopsis (2022 - 2024)
• Yukon Hunting Regulations and Trapping Regulations (2023 to 2024)
• Northwest Territories Hunting & Trapping Regulations (2022 to 2023)
• Nunavut Hunting Guide (2023 to 2024)

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The hunting limit (bag limit) for wolves varies widely (from 1 to No Limit) between Provinces and Territories. In addition, the hunting limit varies within Provinces and Territories depending on area and resident status. 

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In some provinces, such as Alberta and British Columbia, hunting, trapping, and culling seasons overlap with wolf denning season, which begins mid-April each year. This means that pregnant and/or lactating female wolves can be legally shot by trophy hunters, snared and trapped by trappers, or baited and poisoned by wolf cullers. The effects of doing so are devastating to a wolf pack. Not only is there a loss of both the lead breeding female and her pups, the remaining pack members must adapt to the loss of their family members. The removal of the lead breeding female can destabilize the entire group, impair hunting efforts, prevent proper care for young, cause inexperienced wolves to hunt livestock, and even lead to the dissolution of the pack⁴ ⁵ ⁶. 

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The table below outlines the wolf hunting bag limits and seasons across Canada. 

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Trapping is the use of devices to contain and kill animals. It is estimated that currently nearly 50,000 Canadians (including 5,000 Indigenous peoples) engage in trapping throughout the country¹ ². Traps in Canada are classified as either live or killing traps. A live capture or restraining trap is designed to restrain an animal in some way without the use of a device with teeth, hooks, claws, barbs, or projections³. Killing traps are designed to kill an animal and are usually equipped with a device preventing it from releasing³. 

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The inhumane and indiscriminate characteristics of killing neck snares is a special area of concern. Neck snares are used for either live capture or to kill an animal, depending on the trapper’s intent⁴. If the snare is not set correctly, the life-threatening injuries sustained through an animal's struggle to free itself results in a high degree of suffering until the animal is either destroyed by the trapper upon a check or dies by exposure, predation, or from its injuries⁵. Beyond the suffering endured by the individual animal captured in a snare, this method of trapping can also have ecosystem-wide effects. Bycatch is also a common side effect of neck snares that needs further consideration. 

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The table below outlines the trapping limits and seasons for wolves across Canada. As you can see from the table, there are no limits to how many wolves can be trapped by an individual trapper or by the trapping industry as a whole in Canada. Furthermore, in Alberta and British Columbia trapping seasons overlap with wolf denning season, which begins mid-April each year.

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Visit the Trapping Series to learn more about commercial trapping and neck snares as well as their effects on wildlife, including wolves.

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With large carnivores in decline across the globe, Canada provides one of the greatest opportunities worldwide to ensure that large carnivores continue to thrive as part of a functioning predator-prey ecosystem¹ ². The only places in Canada that our large carnivores are currently protected from hunting and trapping are in our national parks. Yet, studies repeatedly show that North American parks, including the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks and UNESCO World Heritage Site, that includes Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay national parks, are not large enough to fully protect wolves and other wide-ranging carnivores like grizzly bears, cougars and wolverines². When large carnivores cross these invisible national park boundaries and leave our protected areas, they are immediately subject to being hunted and trapped.
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Even inside protected areas, predators are threatened by stresses such as human use and development inside parks (including towns, highways, and railways), as well as hunting, trapping, land development, and other pressures that occur outside park boundaries¹ ³. In many of our most prominent national parks, predator populations are low and have a low probability of persistence¹ ². 

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Using wolves in Banff National Park as an example, since their re-establishment (after being eradicated) in the National Parks of Jasper, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay in the 1980s, Banff wolves have faced ongoing threats at both a pack and population level from human activity within and outside of park boundaries². During the winter of 2018-19,  for instance, at least 10 wolves from two separate Banff National Park families were killed in a single trapline after they were baited into snares just outside the park boundary in the northwest corner of the park⁴. The previous winter, a separate Banff wolf pack of six individuals suffered the loss of two members on the highway in the park and two others were killed by Parks Canada officials⁵. The two wolves were killed by Parks Canada officials because they were able to access food left out by people and became food conditioned.

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At an average age of two-years-old, a wolf will naturally disperse from its natal pack and seek a mate, eventually establishing their own territorial range⁶. This range must not overlap with the boundaries of other packs’ territories to prevent conflict with rival packs, thus wolves must travel further and further from their areas of birth to make a life for themselves. That means leaving home will most likely push them outside the boundary of a national park, the danger of which is unknowable to a wolf. The below quote from biologist Sadie Parr summarizes the reasoning behind implementing buffer zone areas of protection around Alberta’s national parks. Specifically, fur bearing animals require increased protection outside the invisible boundaries of national parks⁵.

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“A single wolf pack can mark more than 2,500 square kilometers of territory. With that large a range [...] wolves simply don't have enough [safe spaces] once they leave the park. Hunting is allowed on more than 85% of provincially managed parks and protected areas. [We need] a "buffer zone" set aside outside Canada's Rocky Mountain national parks, with limitations on hunting in areas surrounding the parks.” 

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Other predators, including at-risk species like grizzly bears and wolverines, face similar threats from hunting, trapping, recreational use, mass tourism, and transportation corridors. These cumulative impacts compromise the ecological integrity of the Parks; exploiting apex predators and subjecting wolves and other vulnerable wildlife to an ongoing struggle to survive in areas portrayed to the public as protected. As a result, our parks have been described as “sinks” rather than sources for predator populations, as they offer inadequate refuge from trophy hunting and trapping and can in fact increase threats to these animals³.

Buffer zones are essentially a ‘protective cushion’ between a protected area (i.e. National Park, wetland, etc.) and any external negative pressures (i.e. recreational use, trapping, hunting, agriculture, industry)⁷. A buffer zone can protect anything of value. Examples could be a wetland (riparian area), National Park, demilitarized zones during a time of war and World Heritage Areas (UNESCO). The ‘contents’ of which are all valuable and worth protecting, not unlike apex predators and fur-bearing animals in Alberta.

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When considering the implementation of a buffer zone there are many considerations, but none more influential than the social will of decision makers⁷. There are examples around the world of successful use of buffer zones to protect the flora and fauna of vulnerable ecosystems around the world, but it may require a social or economic sacrifice from the humans that also enjoy usage of the area⁸. 

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Buffer areas and wildlife corridors are inextricably linked as they relate to any conservation strategy. The idea of protecting ecosystems for their invaluable ‘contents’ (i.e. National Parks) and not protecting the wildlife corridors that facilitate the healthy dispersion of wildlife and other reproductive units (seeds, pods, etc) is inherently flawed. Wildlife cannot determine invisible boundaries of parks and naturally follow innate migration and mating patterns and paths. 

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There is a perception that protecting wildlife withdraws entitlements from humans and, in fact, that is usually the case. Our current model of conservation is engineered to provide humans with what they want and often neglects the needs of wildlife and what they need. The blueprint of conservation will need to be reinvented in order to move forward and we can accomplish that by approaching the protection of ecosystems through assessing the requirements of wildlife rather than solely the desires of members of the public. Buffer zones are one such consideration.