More conservation officers needed after moose poachings in eastern Manitoba: wildlife federation

The Manitoba Wildlife Federation would like to see more conservation officers hired in the provincefollowing the killing of five moose near Pine Falls.

The moose were illegally killed along Highway 304, north of Pine Falls between Feb. 16 and 20. The area is closed to hunting because of a dwindling moose population.

"People are getting frustrated on the lack of movement on moose management in Manitoba," said Brian Kotak, managing director of the ManitobaWildlife Federation. "I know it's only five animals, but it's an area where there is a conservation closure."

Kotak worries if the poaching continues unchecked, it could lead to further loss of the local moose population, which he said had fallen from 1,800 to around 800 around 2010, leading to the hunting ban.

"In eastern Manitoba, for example, we've lost our moose population south of the Winnipeg River to the U.S. border. There essentially is no moose anymore," Kotak said.

The hunting ban applies to both licensed hunters and Indigenous rights-based hunting, Kotak said, adding that the vast majority of hunters abide by the rules.

"It's just a very small proportion of the overall hunting community that's creating problems," he said.

Kotak would like to see the province implement shared management, establishing regional management committees that would include Indigenous hunters, license hunters, private landowners, lodges and outfitters, and the government.

The provincial government passed legislation introducing the concept of shared management last year.

A spokesperson for the provincial government said in an email statement that the province employs 102 conservation officers, and there are currently 12 vacancies, mostly due to officers retiring. The province is in the process of filling those vacancies, the spokesperson said.

Those new conservation officers are certainly needed, according to Kotak.

"We desperately need many, many more conservation officers throughout the province," he said.