At the top of the hour, we hear from Douglas Neasloss about the Bears Forever project and the ban on trophy hunting in B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest. The provincial government disputes First Nations authority in the area, and claims that trophy hunting—a gruesome practice in which people kill a bear and cut off his head and paws—has huge economic value. But through education, scientific and economic studies, and lobbying, the Bears Forever project is working for a future in which people respect bears and live alongside them as neighbours.
Then, we speak with Anne Pick and Tristan Chytroschek about the upcoming documentary Gambling On Extinction. Comparing the trade in elephant, rhino, and tiger parts to blood diamonds, Pick and Chytroschek show us how poaching funds international crime cartels, and how wealthy speculators are actually hoping for extinction—thus making their current stockpiles of animal parts even more rare and valuable. Without swift action from the consumer level to the government level, these species will likely go extinct in our lifetimes.
Listen right now:
