SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick – Animal rights groups in parts of Canada and the United States are decrying the spring bear hunt in New Brunswick, saying it poses risks to the population.

“We oppose the spring bear hunt because with black bears, unlike other animals, it is extremely difficult to tell the males from the females,” said Rob Sinclair, spokesman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

“Any cubs orphaned at 2 to 3 months of age, which is the age they would be when the spring hunt takes place, are going to die.”

The U.S.-based animal rights group is only one of many critical of spring bear hunts, which have been banned in Ontario since 1999 when public outcry over orphaned cubs forced that province to shut down the spring hunt.

In New Brunswick, the black bear population seems to be healthy.

Kevin Craig, a black bear biologist with the Department of Natural Resources, estimates there are about 16,000 black bears, up 3,000 from eight years ago.

Although 2,000 black bears are killed during the spring and fall hunts, the black bear population remains strong with an average annual harvest of about 12.5 percent of the animals.

But opponents insist the spring hunt must be stopped because, they say, it is cruel and unethical.

On its Web site, the Animal Alliance of Canada describes the killing of female bears with young cubs as essentially the same as the hunting of bear cubs, which is illegal in all provinces.

“All provinces say hunters cannot shoot spring bear cubs or females with cubs during the spring season,” says the organization’s Web site.

“These well-intentioned regulations were designed to prevent the killing of mother bears with dependent cubs. However, we know that hunters make mistakes and all cubs orphaned as a result of the spring hunt will die. Bear biologists state the only way to prevent the orphaning of bear cubs is to stop the spring bear hunt.”

Craig said 10 to 15 lactating female bears are typically killed during the spring hunts.

Since bears have an average litter of 2.2 cubs, that means the typical spring bear hunt in New Brunswick results in between 22 and 33 orphaned bear cubs.

Craig said about half of the orphaned cubs are saved at wildlife rehabilitation centers. The remaining bear cubs die. That’s about the same number as are usually killed in the course of the year by cars and trucks on the province’s highways.

During the bear hunting season, which opens in New Brunswick next Monday and runs through to June 26, most of the hunters in the woods are expected to be Americans.

“We have about 3,500 nonresidents who come to hunt black bear and we have about 1,500 to 1,800 residents in the hunt,” said Craig. “The main reason people hunt bear is for the hide.”