A recent ruling from B.C.’s Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) has brought attention to the interpretation of “hunting,” leading to disciplinary action against a wildlife biologist for his interactions with an endangered caribou herd in northern B.C.
Doug Heard, a former provincial government wildlife biologist and adjunct professor at the University of Northern B.C., has dedicated the past ten years to the restoration efforts of an endangered caribou herd at Kennedy Siding, a critical 223-hectare habitat for threatened woodland caribou near Mackenzie, B.C. His collection methods for caribou hair samples were deemed unlawful.
On November 7, 2024, Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship officials observed Heard using a “cable caster” device on a live webcam to shoot small clamps, known as alligator clips, in an attempt to gather caribou hair at a feeding station. Although Heard possessed a permit for DNA sample collection from hair and fecal pellets, extracting hair directly from the animals was prohibited.
Following the removal of his permit, Heard contested the decision. In a ruling issued on May 7, the EAB concluded that his actions constituted illegal hunting under B.C. law, as the Wildlife Act defines hunting as the pursuit of animals with the intent to capture any part, including hair, regardless of injury or capture.
The tribunal supported the province’s argument that allowing Heard’s actions would set a precedent for shooting and stalking wildlife as long as the intention was to obtain a specific part of the animal. Referring to a prior ruling, the EAB emphasized that Heard’s permit only permitted opportunistic sample collection within a restricted hunting area.
Heard maintained that the cable caster was less intrusive compared to his previous methods, such as a dart gun and toy crossbow, which were previously deemed unauthorized by the board in 2021 and 2022 for causing potential disturbance to the caribou.
As of May 2, Heard was eligible to reapply for a wildlife permit but declined to provide a comment on the decision when contacted by CBC News.
