Chief calls to end moose hunt in B.C. following wildfires, habitat loss
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — A First Nations chief is calling on the British Columbia government to halt the moose hunt this year, arguing the historic wildfire season has caused enough trauma to the species.
Tl’etinqox Chief Joe Alphonse said the flames that have charred thousands of square kilometres of habitat in the province’s Interior and hunting will only further endanger the moose population.
“Anyone who chooses to point a gun to a moose in the Chilcotin is contributing to the eventual problem of having no moose in the Chilcotin down the road,” he said.
The largest fire ever recorded in the province’s history at more than 5,210 square kilometres in size is still burning across the Chilcotin plateau, an area about 60 kilometres northwest of Williams Lake.