$10M spent on B.C. wolf cull, FOI documents reveal alongside details of shootings

This story contains images of dead wolves.

The British Columbia government has spent more than $10 million on a controversial wolf cull launched in 2015, according to documents obtained through a freedom of information request filed by CBC News.

The province's "aerial wolf reduction program" involves shooting wild animals from a helicopter, which the province describes as the most effective and humane way of reducing the wolf population in areas with endangered or at-risk caribou.

At the time it was launched, the province said the cull would be a short-term measure aimed at conserving threatened woodland caribou herds while it also worked to restore critical habitat. 

A total of 1,944 wolves have been killed since 2015, according to the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, which said in an email to CBC News that predator reduction measures on 13 of B.C.'s 54 caribou herds have helped to stabilize or increase populations. 

Predator management is part of the provincial caribou recovery program, which aims to revive the declining caribou population. The program also features initiatives for habitat protection, including setting aside land from industrial and recreational activities, as well as caribou maternity penning to see more calves born. 

FOI documents detail how wolves are killed

Documents obtained by CBC News through a freedom of information request provide a glimpse into how the wolf cull has been operating.

The request asked the Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship for documents — including necropsy reports, records, text messages and iMessages, and emails — between Jan. 1, 2014 and April 25, 2023 that detail the death of each wolf under the provincial caribou recovery program.

Also requested were all photos and videos of dead wolves used for formal and informal reports related to the program, as well as costs associated with the program. 

The received documents include specific plans for culls and caribou capture for monitoring from January to March 2020, and February to March 2021 in the areas with Tweedsmuir-Entiako, Itcha-Ilgachuz, and Quesnel Highland caribou herds.

Also included are several pages of logs tracking specific wolf culls in unspecified areas during the winter months between December 2018 and mid-March 2023. 

The province sets a goal of reducing the wolf population in targeted areas by 80 per cent, documents read. This includes the elimination of entire packs so that population density is below three wolves per 1,000 square kilometres. 

Wolves are killed by shooters in helicopters who use a semi-automatic rifle with a red-dot scope for quick and accurate acquisition, according to the documents. They target the brain, upper spinal cord, chest, lungs and heart for a quick death. If the first shot is not fatal, the documents say, there are followup shots to the targeted areas to ensure the animal's demise.

"Wolves will be visually observed from as close a distance as possible from a hovering helicopter for visual signs of movement (e.g. respiratory effort and movement) to confirm death before moving on," the documents read.

"Any animal that is shot and is not recumbent will be followed until the gunner is able to kill as quickly and humanely as possible." 

Once a pack is eliminated, at least half of the wolves will be inspected on the ground to document shot locations and provide photos to the project lead and provincial wildlife veterinarian, the documents said. 

The province said notes are recorded by ministry professional biologists that implement or oversee the field activities in certain treatment areas across the province.

Documents show around 330 wolf kills tracked by unidentified individuals for several winter months between 2018 and 2023. The majority of the animals are reported to have died, or to have been "dispatched," immediately, without followup shots.

When a wolf does not die instantly, the information is also logged.

"4th wolf 1 shot thru chest, ran 10 yards and expired, [less than] 3 sec dispatch," reads a tracking document from Jan. 25. 

Logged on Feb. 24, 2023, an unidentified person noted, "2nd wolf hit low in chest/front shoulder, gun appeared to be shooting low, so adjusted aim point and 2 more shots both into neck [less than] 5 sec dispatch time." 

The province said program costs totalled $10,174,900 between 2014 and April 25, 2023. It said those costs include wolf and cougar removal, aircraft costs, contractors, field equipment, fuel, accommodations, and other operational costs.

'Huge concerns' about wolf shootings

Lawyer Rebeka Breder, who works with Pacific Wild. a conservation group opposed to the cull, says the documents tell her that the killing of wolves is "cruel" and "inhumane." 

Breder said she has "huge concerns about the way the wolves are being shot."

"I don't care how amazing one thinks they are in shooting targets, it is just illogical to believe that these killings result in the immediate death without any suffering at all," she said.

She said shooters in helicopters are too high up to confirm whether an animal died instantly or instead bled to death, particularly in instances where the first shot doesn't go through the brain or a vital organ.

While more than 1,900 wolves have been killed by the province since 2015, Breder said it's troubling that the documents provided only cover more than 300 of those deaths. 

Each wolf's death should be recorded, Breder said, and she is concerned that necropsies are not being conducted. 

Pacific Wild and other conservation groups argue the primary issue facing caribou is human activity and development, and efforts should be directed at habitat conservation rather than killing another wild animal.

Breder said it's a waste to spend millions of dollars on a wolf cull. Instead, she would like to see the money go to long-term humane solutions, such as more critical habitat conservation.

The ministry said in an email that years of research showed predator reduction is an effective, short-term measure in reversing caribou population declines, and its approach is based on science and wildlife management principles. 

Nathan Cullen, the minister responsible for the program, was not available for an interview about the FOI documents, but in a November 2023 interview with CBC Daybreak North, he addressed concerns raised by Pacific Wild surrounding the wolf cull program, calling it a "last resort."

"We don't do anything on predator management unless we're also combining it with significant habitat recovery," he said.

Majority of province opposed to cull: survey

When the wolf cull program was launched in 2015, the province promised to launch a review after five years.

That happened in 2021 when the province launched a survey seeking feedback on the program from the public.

Of 15,196 surveys completed, 59 per cent of respondents were opposed to predator reduction for caribou recovery, while 37 per cent were in support, according to results published online.

The caribou recovery program started in the South Selkirk Mountains and the South Peace region in 2015. 

The wolf cull was quietly renewed by the province in the winter of 2021-22 to focus on endangered or threatened caribou in the Peace, Cariboo, Kootenay, Omineca, and Skeena regions. It's expected to continue through 2026 with an annual budget of up to $1.8 million and an expected 244 additional wolves killed every year.

Document acquired via FOI request show cost of wolf cull: