Ian Barraclough newsroom@nsnews.com
March 7,2003

WHEN is a zoo not a zoo?

Well not when it is called a wildlife sanctuary, according to one concerned North Vancouver District resident.

"I feel very strongly to appear before you," stated district resident Herbert Vesley. "The grizzlies on top of Grouse are in a zoo, no matter what name you give to that enclosure.

"It's called a sanctuary, it's called an educational resource, it's called a lot of things in the press, but it is simply a zoo by any other name," argued Vesley who appeared before council Monday to talk about a motion by Coun. Ernie Crist to receive a staff update on the Grouse Grind and Grouse Animal Bear Sanctuary (Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife).

"We closed the Vancouver Zoo and we all remember the sad story of the Vancouver Zoo's last polar bear. We don't want this to happen on top of Grouse Mountain," said Vesley who had previously lobbied council for action to close the sanctuary.

Vesley argued that bears need a significant amount of space in order to live a full and active life as a bear. "According to the Canadian Wildlife Service who I think are the experts in this field, an average bears' range is 700 square miles for an adult grizzly bear - that's 400,000 acres.

"The enclosure provides five acres, although at first it was two acres and they increased it to five. Even if you gave them 1,200 acres, it is a far cry from their normal range," argued Vesley.

The wildlife sanctuary, which first opened in the fall of 2001, currently houses four orphaned grizzly bear cubs (and a northern spotted owl) whom it was feared would perish in the wild unless offered protection and nurturing.

"There are 6,500 grizzly bears in B.C., according to the Canadian Wildlife Service. There will be many cubs that will be orphaned, and you cannot take them all in, so I would urge you not to support the maintenance of the sanctuary," concluded Vesley.

Despite public input criticizing the sanctuary together with several letters supporting its continuance, Crist's motion to solicit an update on the sanctuary was not even discussed by council Monday as no other councilor agreed to second his motion. Council had previously discussed the issue in 2001 and 2002.