Nova Scotia

Cape Breton moose cull to resume weeks after protests end first hunt

A moose cull in Cape Breton Highland National Park will resume as soon as Wednesday, less than a month after it was disrupted by protesters.

Parks Canada says Mi'kmaq hunters returning to Cape Breton Highlands National Park

A moose harvest could resume in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park as early as Wednesday. (CBC)

Mi'kmaq hunters could be back on North Mountain in Cape Breton Highlands National Park as soon as Wednesday to resume a cull of moose, Parks Canada said in a statement.

This comes less than a month after a first attempt at a cull was cut short when protesters entered the restricted hunting zone and confronted the aboriginal hunters.

The "moose population reduction program," as Parks Canada now calls it, is meant to cut the number of moose on the mountain to give the boreal forest a chance to regenerate.

The plan is to remove as much as 90 per cent of the moose population from the mountain over the next two years. That could be as many as 40 moose.

The harvest is being co-ordinated by the Uni'maki Institute of Natural Resources, based in Eskasoni.

Parks Canada has refused to do interviews since deciding to resume the cull. It's not clear whether protests will resume.

The hunt will continue through Dec. 18.