Editor:
I am writing to you in response to your article about an incident on Jan. 5, 2014 in Banff National Park about photographers being suspected of baiting wolves with meat in order to get photographs.
It is frustrating to read that Steve Michel states for Parks Canada, “They were all aware it was there and they were all photographing the wolf and nobody reported this information to Parks Canada. That is the part that is extremely disappointing.”
This is not disappointing, but simply a matter of Parks Canada either, due to severe cuts in financing not having the staff to follow up properly on incidents, or, which is solely my thought, not based on facts, having pressure from who knows to avoid following up incidents in order to avoid bad press. God forbid a visitor would be able to spend $50 less in one of the chain stores in town after he would receive a fine.
On May 18, I filmed a car with three people feeding a black bear. The video provides a clear look at all the people in the car, it provides HD quality of the local Alberta licence plate and when reporting it, I was told it had to be one of the best pieces of evidence they ever received.
As the file was too large to send by email, I drove from Calgary to Lake Louise to drop it off in person, hoping that finally legal actions would follow, so there would be charges laid and media reports sending a message to people that feeding wildlife is illegal and result in a fine.
After kindly asking for an update in August about the case and if actions were taken, I received an email from Parks Canada on Oct. 6. The bear was seen, didn’t show any signs of food conditioning and based on that it was decided to no take further action on the incident. If feeding wildlife is illegal, why are cases not followed up unless an animal becomes food conditioned and gets killed? The signs do not state “Feeding wildlife is only illegal if we need to shoot the animal afterwards.”
This is just one example of several cases where I documented wildlife harassment by people with cameras either harassing wildlife directly (e.g. blocking the path of the wolves, following them on foot, sitting right next to a carcass of a wolf kill) or indirectly entering closed off den areas (after parking literally a foot from the closure sign).
The result was always the same, the person got contacted, received “a lecture he understood,” but I would also have to understand that people want their “visitor experience,” so charges were not laid. How these lectures are understood and followed can be seen when going out on the BVP, as these people continue again and again.
What about my visitor experience? I pay for an annual pass, but the experience is the same. Instead of being able to observe and photograph wildlife in its natural habitat, I have to witness countless incidents and see no response or reaction when reported to Parks Canada – which includes endangered grizzlies like #64 and her three cubs trying to cross a Texas gate to get onto the TCH and Parks not sending any staff out after several calls. It’s nothing but negligence.
Now Parks Canada can state they are upset and disappointed, however, they should be honest enough to state what their personnel conveys to visitors when being out on BVP. A staff of Parks Canada said that complaints by photographers are not being followed up anymore, as they are considered complaining about other photographers getting images one missed and others got.
Since then I stopped reporting harassment as it was pretty obvious through actions and statements by Parks Canada that reports do not lead to prevention.
I know that many other people had similar experiences with Parks Canada. So instead of being disappointed about incidents like these, which can only happen if Parks is showing illegal actions are not leading to consequences, Parks Canada should finally use the tools they have to prevent them in the first place. And if they can’t use them, request the proper funding to do so.
These people are not commercial photographers who would have no use for images of unnatural behaviour or behinds of wolves running away scared with their tails tucked in. Even though Kevin Van Tighem is labeling all of them as paparazzi in his book (even people who have raised awareness of the issues wolves in the Bow Valley face internationally through several sorts of media for decades now, years before his book came out, which he fails to mention), there are indeed photographers in the valley that respect nature and animals.
But as long as there is a use for images like these, be it to build someone’s ego on social media or authors using them in his talks to promote his book (and therefore giving these people motivation to continue with their actions), these incidents will continue.
It would be great if people would stop considering all photographers as people who show no respect for an animals’ well being and accept actions of photographers like those mentioned in your article. Some of them actually do care and use their images to raise awareness about concerns about fellow photographers’ behaviour. Or Parks Canada’s issues to handle them, due to financial cuts by the government.
Hendrik Boesch,
Calgary
