Stop Shooting Wolves From Helicopters

British Columbia Premier David Eby, whose provincial government oversees some of North America's most iconic wildlife habitat, is considering a proposal to keep shooting wolves from helicopters for another five years.

It's cruel, costly, and it won't deliver a lasting recovery for caribou.

Since 2015, more than 2,800 wolves have been killed under B.C.'s predator reduction program, commonly known as the wolf cull. In the 2025-26 season alone, 300 wolves and six cougars were killed. 

Yet after a decade of killing wolves, caribou are still in trouble.

Why? Because wolves were never the main problem.

Habitat loss is. The forests caribou depend on are being fragmented and destroyed by logging, mining, oil and gas development, and other industrial activities. 

Killing wolves cannot replace the old-growth forests and intact ecosystems that continue to disappear across the province. It's time to end the wolf cull and take action to protect caribou habitat.

And the wolf cull itself raises serious animal welfare concerns.

Wolves are intelligent, highly social animals who live in close-knit family groups. Government contractors chase them from helicopters and shoot them from the air using rapid-fire weapons. Many wildlife advocates, scientists, and animal protection organizations have condemned the practice as inhumane.

Wolves are also vital to healthy ecosystems. As apex predators, they help keep nature in balance, supporting biodiversity and ecosystem health. Removing large numbers of wolves can trigger harmful ripple effects throughout the environment.

British Columbia is home to some of North America's most important wildlife populations, and decisions made there affect a shared natural heritage that transcends borders. Public consultations and polling have repeatedly found significant opposition to wolf culling and strong support for habitat-based recovery measures. Yet British Columbia is considering another five years of spending taxpayer dollars on predator reduction while habitat destruction continues.

The Government of British Columbia must abandon this failed approach and invest instead in protecting and restoring critical caribou habitat. That's the only path to long-term recovery for caribou and a healthier future for all wildlife.

Please sign the petition to tell Premier Eby: Stop shooting wolves from helicopters. End this cruel and costly cull. Protect caribou by protecting habitat—not by killing apex predators.
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Photo by Colleen Gara.

Sources

Pacific Wild | Save BC Wolves Campaign | https://pacificwild.org/campaign/save-bc-wolves/

BC SPCA | Wolf Management in British Columbia | https://spca.bc.ca/ways-to-help/take-action/wild-animals/wolf-management/

Creatively United for the Planet | BC Wants to Extend the Wolf Cull | https://creativelyunited.org/bc-wants-to-extend-the-wolf-cull/

Union of BC Indian Chiefs | Resolution Calling for an End to Wolf Culls and Unethical Hunting Practices | https://ubcic.bc.ca