Hunters in Newfoundland have rarely had a Thanksgiving this good. Starting tomorrow, the province is allowing a huge moose hunt and as many as 33 thousand animals may be taken this year. And that's still too few for many Newfoundlanders. We'll hear why there 's very little sympathy for the province's moose.

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The Monday guest host is Nancy Wilson in Toronto.

 

Part One of The Current

Satire

It's Monday, October 10th.

The Dutch government says it will reclassify high-potency marijuana as a hard drug - alongside cocaine and ecstasy.

Currently, some young people in Holland think austerity measures have gone just a little too far.

This is The Current.

Moose Kill - Documentary

Tomorrow, hunters in Newfoundland will shoulder their rifles and do something no Canadian has ever (legally) done before. Newfoundlanders are going to hunt moose in National parks. The vast Gros Morne and Terra Nova parks will no longer be a safe refuge for the animals. Newfoundland didn't have any moose at the beginning of the 20th century and now has an estimated 150 thousand of the animals. That's roughly one moose for every three Newfoundlanders.

Many drivers have been terrified to see the huge and unexpected silhouettes on the highway at night. And Newfoundlanders demand something be done. Hunters are permitted to take about 33 thousand moose this year -- but many people say that's still not enough. Some want the population cut in half.

Our St. John's producer, Marie Wadden, wonders if there's anyone left who has sympathy for the animals. Today we heard her documentary, A tough time for Moose.

Moose Kill - Brian McLaren

Our next guest was Brian McLaren. He lived in Newfoundland for nine years and spent much of that time studying moose and their impact on the social and natural environment.

He's an associate professor of natural resource management at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay Ontario. And today he joined us from our Thunder Bay studio.

Related Links:

• Moose cull set for national parks in N.L. - CBC News
• NL Grits promise highway moose fence, settlement for class-action suit - Globe and Mail