In early July 2020, Banff National Park staff killed two starving wolves in just one week after they were hanging around urban areas to obtain food. While the food stealing continued, the park remained open. (The young male wolf did enter a food storage building, but animals entering a building is a structural problem, not a wildlife problem.)
It is of no surprise that two wolves were killed in one week. Killing animals never gets to the root of the "pest" problem, which are attractants and poor building structure. Each animal killed leaves room for another one to come in and be subject to the same human made attractants.
When the older female wolf was sedated and examined, it was evident that she had dental problems and some injuries from other wolves. She was killed as a "pest". When the male wolf was sedated, he was considered emaciated, but healthy enough to wear a collar to monitor his behaviour. He was later killed as a "pest".
Sick animals can be brought to a wildlife rehabilitation centre, but Alberta considers wolves "pests", and do not allow wildlife rehabilitation centres to care for them. If these wolves had been brought to a wildlife rehabilitation centre, even outside of Alberta, they could have had a chance. We would like the Province of Alberta to allow wolf rehabilitation.
We would also suggest that Banff park staff soft relocate any starving "pest" animals, and provide a gradually reduced feeding station, away from people that would allow the animal to build strength and eventually move back to natural behaviour.
Instead of removing the human problem of food availability, using a staff run feeding station, or bringing the wolves to a wildlife rehabilitation centre in which they could gain their strength and natural behaviour, the park decided to use lethal force. This is not the first time the park has responded with lethal force. In 2016, two healthy alpha parent wolves were killed as "pests", resulting in the rest of the pack scattering and succumbing to human activities. There was a petition about the wolves in 2016. That petition is now closed, but it illustrates the ongoing problem. #https://www.thepetitionsite.com/en-ca/465/079/294/spare-the-banff-wolf-pack-after-the-shooting-of-cecilia-the-mom-wolf/#
We ask that Banff let the rest of the wolves live, and removes destruction as a tool for wildlife management. Please consider closing areas of the park immediately after the first sign of human interaction. For urban wildlife conflicts, consider working with a coexistence organization such as Coyote Watch Canada. Consistently only allow bear proof bins for all food and garbage.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/banff-park-staff-forced-to-euthanize-two-wolves-in-one-week-1.5648534?fbclid=IwAR1eIklsJVQpoHuqUHh6yP7xVbSPwcq79mBi1wsaoJW6-oY8hMutxJLGplY
