Warning this article contains graphic photos that may not be suitable for all readers
A wildlife and trophy hunter residing on Vancouver Island is denying claims she killed an entire pack of wolves in the Sooke/Metchosin area.
Photos of Jacine Jadresko holding two dead wolves in East Sooke were recently shared in a Facebook group dedicated to the legacy of Takaya, a lone wolf famous in the South Island area.
The group and many locals in the area reported the wolf pack to which the alleged dead animals belonged was not causing any harm.
Jadresko, who uses the social media username Inked Huntress, claims they are not the same wolves.
“In the absence of action by Canadian provincial governments, the uncontrolled slaughter of wolves continues and the perpetrators still face no consequences for killing these valuable apex predators and sentient, social beings,” the Facebook post accompanying the photos said.
“Shortly after the Inked Huntress killed two wolves from the East Sooke pack, she appeared in another public social media post, posing with the carcasses of three more dead wolves,” the post went on to allege.
Wolf management and the hunting of wolves have been controversial issues among wildlife activists and conservationists, with many believing that wolf-hunting should be re-examined.
The Takaya Facebook group, which operates the website Takaya’s Legacy Project, advocates for wolf management policies and is pushing for the provincial government to tighten regulations around wolf hunting and trapping.
The group has penned an open letter to the BC government regarding Jadresko’s alleged actions.
“Recent incidents of wolf hunting have elicited an emotional response from hunters and non-hunters alike,” the letter states.
“In fact, it was a hunter who spontaneously chose to inform us about the recent actions of Ms. Jadresko. Clearly the social media post in question has functioned simply as a trigger to alert the government to the need to examine regulations governing the recreational killing of wolves.”
Currently, BC’s wildlife regulations allow for hunters to take three wolves each. They are expected to self-report their kills, but in two BC regions, there are no bag limits and no closed season. Typically, hunters only take the wolf’s pelts and leave the rest.
The Takaya Legacy Project says that Jadresko has claimed the wolves have been attacking dogs and cats in the area.
They also allege that instead of calling the BC Conservation Service, Jadresko took the matter into her own hands.
In posts to her social media accounts, Jadresko says that she baited and hunted two wolves in East Sooke. She says that she was dealing with “a problem wolf pack,” and that “full pack removal is always the goal.”
Jadresko’s lawyer forwarded a statement to Victoria Buzz which denies claims that she killed the East Sooke wolf pack.
“Earlier this year, Ms. Jadresko trapped and killed two wolves from a pack in southern Vancouver Island. These wolves were trapped on private property, with permission of the property owners, and with a valid license,” said the statement from her lawyer.
“Ms. Jadresko reported the killings in both instances to the conservation authorities. Ms. Jadresko was informed by property owners in the area that these wolves had attacked and killed multiple pets, and had chased and cornered a human.”
The statement refutes all claims that Jadresko has “wiped out” or “killed” an entire pack.
This isn’t the first time Jadresko has been in the public eye.
Jadresko was one of the subjects in a 2016 Netflix documentary called ‘The Women Who Kill Lions,’ where she said she has killed 29 different species of animals, including African Buffalos and grizzly bears.
According to the documentary, she has also received numerous death threats for sharing photos of her kills online.
Takaya’s Legacy Project says they are dedicated to the campaign for current wolf hunting and trapping regulations consistent with current apex predators in the BC ecosystem.
Currently, there is no limit on trapping regulations for wolves.
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