A recent ruling from the Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) in British Columbia has upheld a decision to penalize a wildlife biologist for his actions towards an endangered caribou herd in northern B.C. Doug Heard, a former provincial government wildlife biologist and adjunct professor at the University of Northern B.C., has been working for ten years on restoring an endangered caribou herd at Kennedy Siding, a critical 223-hectare habitat for threatened woodland caribou near Mackenzie, B.C.
Heard’s methods of collecting caribou hair for DNA samples were deemed illegal. On November 7, 2024, he was observed by Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship staff using a “cable caster” device with alligator clips to collect caribou hair at a feeding station, which led to the removal of his permit. The EAB ruling on May 7 confirmed that his actions constituted illegal hunting under B.C. law.
The definition of hunting in the Wildlife Act includes pursuing animals with the intent to capture any part of the animal, such as hair, regardless of whether the animal is harmed. The province argued that allowing Heard’s actions would set a precedent for individuals to target wildlife as long as they aimed to capture specific parts of the animal. The EAB concurred with this argument.
Heard contended that his use of the cable caster was less intrusive compared to his previous methods, such as dart guns and toy crossbows, to gather hair samples. However, these methods were previously deemed inappropriate by the board in 2021 and 2022. Heard can reapply for a wildlife permit as of May 2 but declined to provide a comment on the ruling.