Zoletil

Government of Nunavut plan to tag 300 bears angers hunters

Inuit hunters in Nunavut, an autonomous region in northern Canada, are unhappy with the Government of Nunavut's plan to tranquilize 300 polar bears in the Foxe Basin and clip them with radio-frequency ear tags fitted with an RFID. The plan is part of a study to track polar bear movements. Hunters oppose the plan because of a Health Canada guideline that bans the consumption of meat within a year from an animal that has tranquilized.

Further, the drug itself is subject to controversy. GN wildlife workers will tranquilize the bears with Zoletil, a powerful drug cocktail composed of teletamine -- a PCP-like anaesthetic -- and a tranquilizer similar to valium. The article mentions that although Zoletil is used widely by veterinarians and wildlife researchers working with animals, occasionally the drug finds its way into the hands of substance abusers. One former GN polar bear researcher was caught injecting Zoletil in 2000. The plan has provoked opposition from Kivalliq Wildlife Board, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., and hunters in affected communities.

The Foxe Basin is a vast area that extends to Hudson Bay, Rankin Inlet, and Nunavik to the east. Inuit hunters in Nunavut, an autonomous region in northern Canada, are unhappy with the Government of Nunavut's plan to tranquili... more

kinolina

added this