Opponents of B.C.’s controversial wolf cull take fight against province to court

VANCOUVER – Two environmental groups say they're taking their fight against British Columbia's controversial wolf cull to court.

Pacific Wild and Valhalla Wilderness Society say they have filed an application for a judicial review that's intended to determine whether the cull constitutes proper wolf management.

The government has argued the cull is needed to protect threatened caribou herds, and during its first year last winter, sharpshooters in helicopters killed 84 wolves in the province's northeast and southeast regions.

But the shootings proved to be controversial and drew the attention of such celebrities as Miley Cyrus and Pamela Anderson who called for the government to end the cull.

The coalition says it has filed the application in anticipation of the province issuing new permits in the South Selkirk region.

Pacific Wild and Valhalla Wilderness Society say a West Coast Environmental Law fund and a crowd-sourcing campaign are financing the initial phase of the court fight.

"To date, the province has neglected to protect and restore sufficient habitat for endangered caribou," says Ian McAllister of Pacific Wild.

"We are asking the court to review whether, in the absence of sufficient, enforced habitat protection, culling wolves constitutes 'proper wildlife management.'"