It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Clint Davy, co-founder and owner of Gibsons Wildlife Rehabilitation, which he established with his wife Irene in 1988. Together they took in and rehabilitated thousands of regional wildlife, from raccoons, squirrels, songbirds, ducks, and owls, to bats, mink, bear cubs, deer, and seals. This compassionate man hadn’t left the Sunshine Coast for a holiday in 35 years in order to care for all hurt and injured wildlife. With no family and never asking for anything, his selfless widow, Irene, is now on her own. We encourage our wonderful community to support her and the centre with donations such as food, funds, supplies and volunteering help would be welcomed. 

We thank Clint for his dedication for so many years, and encourage people to donate to the center so that Irene and volunteers can continue their important work. They can be reached at gibsonswildlife@gmail.com and (604) 886-4989.

A service will be held for Clint on Monday January 27 at 3 PM at the Gibsons Legion.

The Ancient Forest Alliance​ is calling for the provincial government to establish a BC Old-Growth Protection Strategy that would ensure comprehensive, legislated protection for BC’s ancient forests on public/Crown lands. The science-based plan would incorporate timelines to immediately end old-growth logging in “critically endangered” forests, and quickly phase out old-growth logging where there is a “high risk” to biological diversity and ecosystem integrity. Please complete the survey and submit your feedback by Jan 31 at 4pm. Also, please sign the Ancient Forest Alliance’s petition to indicate your support for their plan.

Below are facts on the old-growth forests of BC:

• old growth supports immense biodiversity. Once they’re gone they’re gone, along with the many species that can only survive in old growth stands, or spend a portion of their lives there (ex. Marble Murrelets are an at-risk ocean-dwelling bird that only nests in old growth)
• The unique features of old-growth forests take centuries to develop. At the current rate of logging old growth can be considered to be irreplaceable and will fail to reestablish with rising atmosphere temperatures, changing weather patterns (droughts), forest fires and development
• old growth provides plays so many important ecosystem roles, from water filtration, air purification and oxygen production, run off mitigation, soil stabilization, temperature moderating, carbon storage (2-3x that of second growth forests, which is important to mitigate climate change), are a key part in the salmon lifecycle providing clear, streams for spawning and homes to black and grizzly bears which fertilize the nearby forest with salmon remains; key habitat for thousands of native plant and animal species, and are a large source of tourism revenue in “Beautiful British Columbia”, etc.
• Old growth is what BC is revered for by people around the world. If it’s being cut down it’s against our nature (pardon the pun), values, and image as nature-loving, nature-protecting people. They help us stay connected to the natural world and remind us to protect it for future generations
• old growth play an important role in First Nations culture
• what remains of old growth stands have been here before settlers arrived and simply deserve to remain intact on the Earth. Just because we can dominate them with chainsaws doesn’t mean they should be chopped down.

Stop Animal Brutality is working with the BC Conservation Officer Service to develop a Wildlife Attractant Policy to discourage and prevent wildlife from accessing and becoming conditioned to or dependent on food sources generated or controlled by human activity. The policy will apply to communities that co-exist with large wildlife that habituate to attractants like bears and cougars, and will define the minimum requirements for the collection, removal and disposal of garbage, and the requirement on citizens and businesses to manage wildlife attractants such as garbage, compost, fruit trees and crops, and storage fridges and freezers. Warnings and fines will be given out by Conservation Officers, as well as Bylaw Enforcement officers.

In early December residents of a Port Coquitlam neighbourhood brought about the death of 2 sows and 4 cubs.

This CBC article reported that Conservation Officers repeatedly warned residents not to leave out food waste, bird seed, and unlocked garbage bins since the bears appeared in the area in October. Officers also issued six violation tickets, five dangerous wildlife protection orders and two warnings to discourage such negligence. They also expected the two sows and four cubs to hibernate in the colder months, but the bears continued to stay, living in backyards and roaming in a nearby park.

Stop Animal Brutality visited the park and spoke with neighbours about the incident. We have learned that residents regularly leave out attractants, despite receiving notices from their a property management firm. The property management shared that it regularly finds attractants carelessly left out, including recycling bins contaminated with dirty diapers and used tampons, as well as open disposal bins. It’s no wonder that these bears kept returning to the neighbourhood. It is shameful that people could be so lazy and careless to not clean and sort their disposables responsibly, and contribute to the death of neighbouring wildlife.

Stop Animal Brutality is currently consulting with the City’s By-Law Enforcement office, the COS, the property management firm, and other animal rights groups to come to a workable solution to prevent future conflicts. SAB is also investigating the actions of the COS.

Published Oct 7, 2019 on thenarwhal.ca

Two investigations, released under Freedom of Information laws, show a government agency ignored best practices and available data when auctioning cutblocks in the Nahmint Valley — home to some of Vancouver Island’s last remaining stands of unlogged ancient forest — where clearcutting continues to this day.
Read the full article here