Editor:
I have just returned from visiting friends in Nanoose Bay and they are extremely concerned about the presence of bow hunters in their community.
I understand Sechelt council is considering allowing this form of hunting in your area, and I urge your citizens to consider this very carefully. This is a "sport" that can be conducted in neighbourhoods, parks, suburbs and backyards. Already there have been serious incidents in crowded housing areas; incidents in which pets and children have been very close to the hunting and dangerously imperiled by hunters. The incidence of wounding prey is high, and often the animals are left to die slowly and painfully. The statistics show that up to 50 per cent of the animals are not retrieved or used for food -they die of infection or blood loss so the hunt is not beneficial to either the hunters or the species.
A group of landholders in Nanoose is considering a lawsuit against the local council because their freedom of movement is being restricted, their pets and children are imperiled and their property values negatively affected by the presence of hunters in their community.
I would advise your local government to think very carefully about the implications of this activity before passing a bylaw that would allow such a dangerous and potentially divisive form of hunting in your community.
Maureen Bendick
Saltspring Island
