In a recent ruling by B.C.’s Environmental Appeal Board (EAB), the interpretation of “hunting” has been key in upholding a penalty against a wildlife biologist for his actions involving 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 devoted the past ten years to the recovery of an imperiled caribou herd at Kennedy Siding, a critical 223-hectare habitat for threatened woodland caribou near Mackenzie, B.C. His approach to gathering caribou hair for DNA analysis was deemed unlawful.
On November 7, 2024, ministry officials observed Heard using a “cable caster” device to shoot small clamps, called alligator clips, on a live webcam at a feeding station with the aim of collecting caribou hair for research. Although Heard possessed a permit for DNA sample collection from hair and fecal samples, removing hair directly from the animals was prohibited. Following the removal of his permit, Heard appealed the decision. In a ruling issued on May 7, the EAB concluded that his actions constituted illegal hunting under B.C. law.
The Wildlife Act defines hunting as the pursuit of animals with the intent to capture any part, including hair, regardless of whether the wildlife is injured, killed, or captured. The tribunal emphasized this point. The province contended that permitting Heard’s actions would set a precedent for individuals to pursue and stalk wildlife as long as their goal was to capture a specific part of an animal rather than the entire creature. The Environmental Appeal Board concurred.
Heard argued that the cable caster was less intrusive compared to his previous methods of obtaining hair samples, such as using a dart gun and toy crossbow. However, these methods were previously deemed inappropriate by the board in 2021 and 2022. Heard is now eligible to reapply for a wildlife permit as of May 2 but declined to provide comments on the ruling when contacted by CBC News.
