Coyotes Are "Pests" Deserving Zero Protections? That's What We Said About Grizzlies and Buffalo

For a $50 entry fee, hunters across Alberta, Canada are encouraged to participate in an annual Coyote killing tournament, and are allowed to kill coyotes anywhere that private landowners have granted permission. 38 'teams' took part in the contest last year. According to one hunter, speaking to CBC, "Coyotes are pests. They're legal to hunt any time, any time of the year." Our response? Grizzly Bears and Buffalo were also, once-upon-a-time, labelled as 'pests' and consequently, were virtually wiped-out. In turns out, anyone in Alberta can kill a coyote, at any time, with or without a hunting license, by any means, cruel or uncruel. This lack of protection for animals who are indigenous to these lands and who have been here for half a million years is unacceptable to the voting Canadian population in the 21st Century, and unacceptable to the citizens of the world who visit this country, or who have ties here. We want some laws enacted that will prevent these intelligent, social animals from being destroyed en masse, simply because (from our perspective), they are 'pests'. The true pests, it may be argued, are the citizens with guns, poison and traps, who derive so much satisfaction from killing-off as many members of a species as they can, whenever they feel like it. We trust in your skills and abilities as a member of the Canadian government to brainstorm and make the necessary changes to our laws. Thank you.