A Vancouver Island naturalist and photographer said she was horrified when she saw a photo she took being used on a website belonging to a trophy hunting guide service in Northern B.C.
Wildlife photographer Cheryl Alexander spent six years documenting the life of a lone wolf named Takaya who lived on Discovery Island. Her photos and videos ended up becoming an award winning documentary and book, making Takaya an international celebrity.
Takaya was killed in March 2020 by a hunter near Shawnigan Lake, about two months after he was tranquilized and relocated from the James Bay neighbourhood in Victoria.
Recently, Alexander was working with Humane Society on a project about trophy hunting in B.C., and while she was scrolling through hunting guides websites, she noticed that Terminus Mountain Outfitters, a guide based in Northern B.C., used an "iconic" photo she took of Takaya to advertise their wolf hunts.
"It was shocking. It was actually horrifying. I felt sick seeing it, and also angry, really angry," said Alexander. "I immediately sent an email to them, requesting that they take it down right away, and telling them that they were in contravention of Canadian copyright law. There was infringement, and that I would take legal action. They did not reach out at all, they didn't respond."
As of July 30, the photo has been taken down, and Terminus Mountain Outfitters did not respond to a request for comment.
Since Takaya was killed, Alexander created the Takaya's Legacy project, which aims to raise money for non-profit organizations that support wolf conservation throughout the world by exhibiting art that was dedicated to Takaya.
"When the film was released in the UK, and also in France and Germany, what started to happen was people from there were really impacted by it, and they started to produce art as a tribute to Takaya. I got the first art in 2019 and then over a period of the next year there are people in in probably about 12 to 15 countries, sent art, produced art in honour of Takaya," she said.
She has also since been advocating for wolves on the provincial and federal levels of government to implement further wolf hunting regulations on Vancouver Island and B.C.
"What I realized needed to happen was we need to review and change the regulations that allow any hunter with a general hunting license to kill wolves. On Vancouver Island, they're allowed to kill three for no reason, just because they're a wolf. And in most of B.C., the number is unlimited. They can kill as many as they want, and trappers can also trap and kill unlimited number of wolves. So this is different from every other animal that hunters hunt for," said Alexander.
Alexander says she is still considering legal action against the hunting guide for using the photo.
"[The photo] could have been up there for a few years, and they're using that photo to sell their product, which is trophy hunting of wolves. So I don't know if I am able to [file a lawsuit or copyright claim], I think I could be successful. And if I did, and any money was generated, it would go toward conservation organizations," she said.
