A recent ruling from B.C.’s Environmental Appeal Board has upheld a decision to penalize a wildlife biologist for his actions towards an endangered caribou herd he has been studying in northern B.C. Doug Heard, a former provincial government wildlife biologist and adjunct professor at the University of Northern B.C., has dedicated the last ten years to the restoration of an endangered caribou herd at Kennedy Siding, a critical 223-hectare habitat for threatened woodland caribou in southeast Mackenzie, B.C.
Heard’s methods for collecting caribou hair for DNA samples were found to be in violation of the law. On November 7, 2024, Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship staff observed Heard on a live webcam using a “cable caster” device to shoot small clamps, known as alligator clips, with the aim of gathering caribou hair for research at a feeding station. Although Heard had a permit for collecting DNA samples from hair and fecal pellets, he was not authorized to directly remove hair from the animals.
Following the incident, Heard’s permit was revoked, and he contested the decision. In a ruling issued on May 7, the EAB concluded that his actions constituted illegal hunting under B.C. law. The Wildlife Act defines hunting as pursuing animals with the intent of capturing any part of the animal, including just hair, regardless of whether the wildlife is harmed or captured.
The province argued that allowing Heard’s actions would set a precedent for individuals to shoot at and track wildlife as long as their intention was to capture only a specific part of the animal. The Environmental Appeal Board concurred with this argument. Heard contended that the cable caster was less intrusive compared to his previous methods of collecting hair samples, such as using a dart gun and a toy crossbow, which were deemed inappropriate uses of his permit in previous board rulings.
Heard is now eligible to reapply for a wildlife permit as of May 2. He declined to provide a comment on the decision when contacted by CBC News.