BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 109 



Fur-bearing animals are, on the whole, very scarce, except perhaps 

 the lynx. Mink and marten occur in a few places in fair numbers; 

 beaver, once almost extinct, are becoming numerous under protection. 

 Other animals occur only sparingly. 



Principles Underlying Game Protection 



It may rightly be asked : " What is a proper public attitude toward 

 the wild game of the country?" Some confusion exists in the public 

 mind, and a great deal of talking to no purpose is indulged in, which 

 might perhaps be avoided by the formulation of a few guiding 

 principles. The following are suggested: 



1. The first duty of the country is to its people, not to its wild 

 game. If the presence of large wild game interferes with or prevents 

 the establishment of successful homes, it must be destroyed. Perhaps 

 one might go so far as to say that this game should be utilized, so far 

 as is within reason, in assisting in the maintenance of the pioneer homes 

 on the edge of settlement. At any rate we hope the time will never 

 come in Canada when deer parks and game preserves are considered 

 of more value than the people of the country, and we see no reason 

 why the same attitude should not be held in regard to those regions 

 where the game is already established but the homes are not. 



2. In a strictly agricultural section, or a region of intensive cultiva- 

 tion, large wild game animals are distinctly out of place, particularly 

 such animals as buffalo, elk or antelope. This applies to much of our 

 prairie farm belt. 



3. In an agricultural region where there are numerous woodlots, 

 areas of broken or rocky timbered lands, and hill slopes suitable only 

 for pastures or forests, large game such as the native deer may easily 

 be maintained in the midst of a dense population without detriment 

 to anyone. This applies to most of our eastern farm sections and to 

 the whole of the northern prairie country along the edge of the great 

 northern forests. 



4. In a grazing region, large grazing game animals, such as elk 

 and buffalo, cannot be successfully maintained on the same land as 

 domestic stock, especially sheep, without coming into competition with 

 it for the available range. This applies to our western grazing lands 

 both on the Great plains and in the British Columbia interior plateau . 

 country. 



5. After all possible agricultural or grazing lands are removed from 

 consideration, there still remains in Canada, more than half, perhaps 



