Grizzly catching salmon in the Great Bear Rainforest
British Columbia's Commercial Bear Viewing Association, which represents bear-viewing operations around the province, welcomes the release of a new documentary investigating the controversial grizzly bear trophy hunt.
The Grizzly Truth, by filmmaker Thomas Reissman, is released today on Vimeo and gives a thorough account of both pro and anti-grizzly hunting positions.
"This is one of the most comprehensive treatments of this subject," says Julius Strauss, of the Commercial Bear Viewing Association. "It helps kill off many of the sacred cows around the debate on grizzly bear hunting."
"The notions that hunting is somehow necessary to cull bears, or that killing old males helps cubs survive are among two of many issues addressed in the documentary, and finally laid to rest."
"More than 90 percent of British Columbians are now against the trophy hunting of grizzly bears and it is time the province stopped supporting it."
In The Grizzly Truth, filmmaker Thomas Reissmann investigates this controversy and closely scrutinizes all the arguments brought forward by hunting organizations and special interest groups.
The film also takes a closer look at the conflict between hunters and bear-viewing operations and dispels the myth of the dangerous and ferocious grizzly bear.
“When I set out to make The Grizzly Truth, I wanted to explore the arguments on both sides of the debate as objectively as possible,” comments Reissmann. “What I’ve created is a thorough examination of facts and interestingly I have come to many of the same conclusions as the recent report released by the Grizzly Bear Foundation, which are illustrated in the film.”
The documentary, which was filmed in British Columbia, Alberta, Montana and Alaska, features stunning footage of grizzly bears in the wild and interviews with a wide range of experts. Among them are Doug Neasloss, elected Chief Councilor of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation, animal rights activist Captain Paul Watson, and Charlie Russell, the Canadian naturalist best known for his ten-year study on grizzly bears in Kamchatka, Russia.
The executive director of the Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia, Scott Ellis, and the Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations of British Columbia, also weigh in on the issues.
The Grizzly Truth will be available to rent or own on Vimeo beginning March 30th, 2017.
About the Commercial Bear Viewing Association:
The Commercial Bear Viewing Association represents the interests of bear-viewing operators in British Columbia. Its purpose it to develop guidelines and policies for the industry and make recommendations to government. It is calling for a ban on the hunting of grizzly bears in the province, a move that it believes would make environmental and economic sense.