| Wolves have been hunted, trapped, poisoned and tortured by humans for thousands of years. Aesop’s Fables and Little Red Riding Hood have done little to promote goodwill towards wolves. Wolf "control" programs based on irrational fears have lead to virtual extirpation of the wolf from the lower 48 states in the US and significantly decreased wolf populations in Canada.
In Ontario, wolves continue to be hunted and trapped year round. There is currently no management plan or governmental policy in place to protect wolves in Ontario. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Wildlife Branch is responsible for wolves.
- Between 1988-1999, approximately 6 000 wolves were trapped for pelts in Ontario according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. The average price per pelt over this time period was $66. On average, 545 wolves are trapped per year for fur.
- Farmers do NOT need a license or a reason to trap or hunt wolves on their property.
- Wolf hunting in Ontario is open season. There are no limits on when wolves can be killed. Currently the only areas offering full year-round protection to wolves are specially designated areas such as provincial parks, which represent a mere 12% of the land base in Ontario.
- With no bag limits on wolves, hunters are allowed to kill as many wolves as they can find. Over 300 000 hunting licences issued per year in Ontario.
- The only time a hunter or trapper has to report a wolf kill is when the pelt is sold commercially.
- Not all provincial parks are a safe haven for wolves. Even the Eastern wolf, an Ontario species at risk is not protected in all of the province’s parks. In fact, wolves are only protected from hunting and trapping on 3% of their Ontario range.
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