Editor:
The consternation about the deaths of two Bow Valley cougars two weeks ago is slowly fading.
Has anything changed since then? Are officials working on adapting the bylaws? Since I moved to the valley nearly 30 years ago, I am reading the same comments by conservation officers, park wardens and biologists alike about “feeling sorry for having to kill a problem animal.”
While I don’t doubt the sincerity of their comments, I have little tolerance for the inaction after such incidents, especially given the large outcry of residents over the years. In the case of the cougars, it is clear that with a few simple changes this situation can be reversed. The longer term solution is obviously to stop, or at the very least reduce, additional growth in Canmore and the rest of our valley.
The point of this letter is not to blame anyone. We are all in this together. But we humans are solely responsible for these issues. The good thing is that whatever we create, we can also undo again.
Humans have also created dogs. Their niche is therefore next to men and clearly not off-leash free roaming in an ecosystem in which every creature and every plant has worked long and hard to create its own niche in this complex web of life.
Our lifestyles must respect and reflect these facts. If you are as disappointed and sad about the deaths of these two cougars as I am, I ask all of you to call and write and urge Fish and Wildlife and the Town of Canmore to demand the necessary changes now.
Canmore has been claiming to be a wildlife-friendly community. Really? Here’s yet another chance to show how serious we are to take that step backwards and allow “the others” their God-given right to be and roam where they have for centuries before us.
I am wishing you all a happy New Year. With hope that our wildlife brethren can do the same.
Reno Sommerhalder,
Banff
