Dairy Farmer Charged with Killing Four Grizzly Bears

Canadian dairy and meat farmer Arlan Harry Baer has been arrested for killing four grizzly bears and charged with six violations of British Columbia’s Wildlife Act, including killing out of season and unlawful posession. The bears are considered a “threatened species” in the area, and while the sex of the bears killed has not been released, authorities assume all were female—posing an even larger threat to their dwindling population. Local grizzly bear expert Lana Ciarniello revealed that conflict between animal agriculturalists and grizzly bears is “unfortunately common,” as wild animals are often culled to protect commodified farmed animals. Last week, Norway authorized the killing of 70 percent of the country’s wolves to protect its profitable sheep industry. Similarly, the state of Washington announced plans to kill an entire wolf pack, citing the predatory animals’ disturbance of cattle farms. Furthermore, the advisory board to the Bureau of Land Management recommended the slaughter of 45,000 wild horses held on government property to make way for animal agriculture. Baer will appear in court to defend his charges in October.