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Copyright 1966 Western Producer Prairie Books
243 pages,
ISBN 0-88833-175-4.

Wildlife Conservation Update

Canadians, almost without exception, are interested in their country's wildlife-for many different reasons. For some, the primary interest is in hunting with a gun or fishing; some admit their principal interest is in the economic benefits generated and will tell of the millions of dollars left behind by tourist hunters, the additional millions paid in taxes, and the new jobs arising from wildlife-related activities. And there is a third big group of Canadians who, with no wish to kill the attractive wild things and no interest in using them for dollar gains, want only to watch and study and enjoy the wild creatures in their living form.

Taken together, Canadians probably have more interest in wildlife than in the big and profitable forestry or mining industries, and politicians should be aware. Wildlife organizations have always been vociferous and generally successful in getting hearings.

But what can be told about recent progress in saving wild races from decline or disappearance? The world scene hasn't improved. John Hallagan, writing in Conservation News, reports Africa's wildlife numbers as having been "greatly reduced ... an estimated 95 species of mammals in Africa, a diverse group representing 16 families ranging from 15 species of lemurs to the largest land animal of all, the African elephant, as threatened by human actions." His article, "Africa's Wildlife Battling in the Darkness," appeared in the June 1978 issue published by the National Wildlife Federation.

India's wild races have been failing; the world's whale numbers have dropped from the attacks of whalers-more about which later. the world's non-human primates have suffered serious decline from food hunters and agents of international traders in monkeys and their close relations, even though an estimated 50 percent of captured primates die before or soon after delivery.

The California condor is not a Canadian race either, but Canadians have heard much about its troubles and have shown special 70 interest. The bird is as big and beautiful when seen high in the sky as it is ugly when seen at close range. It has a nine-foot (three-meter) tip-to-tip wingspan and with its race down to about 20 birds-just like the whooping cranes in the decade of the 1940s-it is in serious trouble.

Other species from the long list of world races facing uncertain futures include these familiar names: Asian lion, Asian otter, Arabian oryx, black lemur, ruffed lemur, Grevy's zebra, Siberian tiger, snow leopard, black rhinoceros, Sumatran rhinoceros, Prejvalsky's wild horse, gorilla, orangutan, Humboldt's penguin, Chinese alligator, and scores more.

The whales are certainly international in their travels but they are mammals in which Canadians have taken a special interest. It is well known that various species have dwindled alarmingly. The gray whales seem to have made some recovery, but it is feared that an increase in numbers will invite more whaling operations and more setbacks. They are threatened, also, by offshore oil explorations and activities in their favored waters in the Bering Sea and off the coast of Mexico.

The International Whaling Commission, formed in response to fears about the heavy slaughter of the big mammals, had the best of purposes, but in declaring the need for termination or even restraint of hunting, it lacked the means of enforcing its decisions. Member countries were not compelled to comply and some did not. Many of the early whaling nations ceased their hunting activities; Russia and Japan persisted and angered conservationists.

Nor did Canada's policy and influence escape bitter criticism. When in 1980 the Commission's annual meeting was at Brighton, England, a moratorium on commercial whaling everywhere was proposed by the United States, France, and the Netherlands but failed to obtain the necessary 75 percent of voting support needed to make it official Commission policy. The vote was thirteen in favor with nine opposed, and Canada was conspicuous by being one of the non-whaling member countries voting against what was recognized in most world circles as an important conservation measure. Some noisy and ugly demonstrations of protest followed, including the burning of a Canadian flag. Some of the angry protests were held at home.

By 1986, when the gray whales had shown a measure of recovery, other kinds including the big blues-up to 100 feet (36.3 meters) in length and 154 tons (140 tonnes) weight-were still fighting to survive.

The strictly Canadian wildlife inventory is a mixed bag of pluses and deficits. The passenger pigeons, great auks, and Labrador ducks did not return to be Counted. Some races that appeared close to the brink did return. The peregrine falcon, whose reproductive capacity fell dangerously because of DDT pollution, has, with the clever help of humans, greatly bettered its pOSition. The greater prairie chicken that increased its numbers in the early years of settlement and then lost seriously from heavy hunting until some people believed it was joining the passenger pigeons gives hope.

The prairie bison returned as a park animal; the beaver which was trapped ruthlessly until it too gave reason to fear that it was gone for good regained moderate numbers and barring some unforeseen disaster, has returned to stay. Likewise, the sea otter and fur seal, once cruelly depleted, returned to their Pacific haunts.

In point of species recovery, the whooping crane is something of a North American showpiece. There is reason for pride in both Canadian and United States wildlife circles. The species that fell to the perilous population of 15 birds in 1941 is still not out of danger but it did react favorably to human help and began the long and at times discouraging climb back to much better security. By 1951, the population was still only 23 and in 1966, it was 43. By 1985, however, the outlook was very much brighter and authorities could report a total of 154 whoopers, including 84 ready for the spring flight northward from the winter refuge on the Gulf Coast of Texas, 35 in the Gray's Lake National Wildlife Refuge flock in Idaho, and 35 in captivity.

The successful establishment of a second wild flock following a different migration pattern was a triumph, serving to divide the wild flock and thereby reduce the risks. The ingeniously planned project began in 1975 when 14 eggs were carefully removed from nests in Wood Buffalo National Park in the North and flown to the sandhill nesting area at Gray's Lake. The eggs were placed in sandhill crane nests, the hope being that any new whooping cranes to hatch would accept the migration habits of the foster parents, meaning an autumn flight to the favored wintering area in New Mexico and a return flight to Gray's Lake in the spring.

Sure enough, four young whooping cranes flew to New Mexico in the fall of 1975 and back to Gray's Lake in the spring of 1976. The scheme was working and four more hatched from Canadian eggs did exactly the same in the second year.

The new success with the wild birds, coupled with the growing flock In captiVity, was bringing fresh confidence that the big and handsome birds were not going to vanish from the earth.

Canadians will not overlook the bluebirds as representatives of another race that responded to human help. Western Canada has acquired literally thousands of tidy and uniform bluebird nestboxes placed on roadside fence posts in recent years. It began with an admirable effort on the part of Jack Lane and young helpers in the Brandon area in 1959, and the bluebirds, to an encouraging degree, accepted the invitation and nested. The idea spread across the county the beautiful blues were instantly more evident and the bird lovers were delighted.

Ducks Unlimited Canada, a private, non-profit international organization created to "preserve, restore, develop and maintain waterfowl breeding habitat in Canada," had its birth in the memorable year of drought, 1937. At the end of 1984, the record was summarized in a significant one-sentence statement from the Annual Report: "Ducks Unlimited Canada's achievement to date has been the investment of $216,173,000 to develop 1,843,904 acres (764,218 hectares) and 23,649 shoreline kilometres (l4,695 miles) of waterfowl habitat."

What can be said about the changing and much-debated numbers of barren-ground caribou in the Canadian North? Owing to the separation of the four subspecies of Canadian caribou-barrenground, woodland, Peary and Grant's-and the vast area of wild .and remote territory over which they migrate, ascertaining populations has been difficult and open to inaccuracy.

It is generally agreed that the herds, before the native people acquired rifles, were very big, with animal totals running to five or six million. Then there was a sharp decline after guns were adopted. Having never known reasons for restraint, the native hunters shot wastefully and sport hunters from the South made matters no better. Now it appears that populations have stabilized somewhat but are generally dropping because of hunting pressures and habitat destruction resulting from fires on wintering grounds.

It may be fair to say that the total number of caribou, including all four subspecies, is roughly one million head. The barren-ground accounts for about two-thirds of the total.

Another member of the family, the woodland caribou that has roamed over Northern Alberta, is in more immediate trouble, so much so that conservation groups by 1980 were urging a complete ban on hunting.

Prairie dogs, which in 1966 seemed to be making a last stand in Canada in two or three colonies southeast of Val Marie, Saskatchewan, have not expanded far but have increased their colonies and numbers substantially. Thanks to the Saskatchewan Natural History Society, the "dogs" have increased their claim to the poor land to which they retreated and increased their security.

In 1965 the society started a Prairie Dog Protection Fund and four years later acquired by long-term lease the half section on which the principal. colony of that time was located, thereby gaining a stronger legal position from which to pursue its program of protection. Since acquiring the lease, the society has seen steps taken by Parks Canada for the creation of a Grassland National Park which will embrace the lease and other prairie dog colonies, thereby enhancing their security.

Animal fortunes can rise and fall with dramatic suddenness. A Visitor at Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba will see the point made clearly by two lists on a wall in the interpretive center, locally compiled lists of birds and animals.

The longer list includes the names of 11 species that have suffered local or Riding Mountain extinction in the past 100 years. On that list are the na.mes of the grizzly bear, marten, fisher, wolverine, otter: cougar, caribou, whooping crane, trumpeter swan, greater prairie chicken, and passenger pigeon.

The other list comprises the names of six newcomer species, all of which were unknown in the area 100 years ago. On this shorter list are gray squirrel, white-tailed deer, Norway rat, house mouse, magpie, and house sparrow. Perhaps the starling should have been on the lIst also: In any case, the newcomers appeared as a motley gro.up from which few would find much satisfaction Outside of the while-tailed deer that would deserve a welcome. In the give-and-take With wildlife, as conservationists know, the losses commonly far outnumber the gains.