We've launched our new website and new blog!
Please visit us at https://www.animalalliance.ca/blog/
If you have any questions or concerns or some feedback, we'd love to hear from you!
Thank you and enjoy.
For the animals,
The AAC crew
Thursday, 12 May 2016
Our New Website
Please visit us at https://www.animalalliance.ca/blog/
If you have any questions or concerns or some feedback, we'd love to hear from you!
Thank you and enjoy.
For the animals,
The AAC crew
Friday, 11 March 2016
Translocation: a good first step away from deer-killing
by Barry Kent MacKay, Director
Late in February Liz White and I
travelled to Kimberley, British Columbia, population 7600 (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley,_British_Columbia). Liz and I were there to monitor a mule deer
relocation project, thanks to support
from Born Free USA, Zoocheck and Animal Alliance of Canada. Animal Alliance
had contributed $10,000 to a project that involved moving mule deer out of
town to carefully chosen distant habitats.
Those locations were chosen to maximize the chances the deer would have
to survive. The money Animal Alliance
donated to the project bought collars equipped with radio-telemetry devices
that report the location of the deer via a transmission to a satellite every 13
hours. They are designed to eventually
fall off but would provide enough information to allow the scientists to
determine how successful the process was in terms of survival of the deer.
Lest you think it odd that animal
protection organizations such as ours would have even minimal involvement in
such a thing let me assure you it was to provide part of an alternative to the
current deer culling where deer are captured in “clover traps” and killed by a
bolt gun. Earlier this year someone
captured this process during a secretly conducted cull in the nearby town of Cranbrook. The BC Deer Protection society, (http://www.bcdeer.org/), of which both Liz
and I are directors, posted the footage online.
Mule deer inhabit various towns and
small cities that are built in close proximity to vast forests and the animals
make use of both urban and wilderness habitats.
So they are more likely to come into direct contact with residents and
given that mule deer are not as inclined to flee humans as are many other
larger wildlife species, conflicts arise.
Often these conflicts involve dogs, many of whom are off-leash. In the spring does will defend their fawns,
occasionally escalating the conflict.
Other complaints include impacts on flower gardens, deer feces on the
ground and the threat of deer being hit by cars or other vehicles.
A handsome animal, yes, but one that
“does not belong” in town, as we have so often heard.
We heard that town life for deer is
fraught with difficulty. They have to
navigate fences and traffic and avoid people who don’t like them. Of course those who advocate this point of
view fail to acknowledge, or understate that, in the wild deer are hunted in
the fall. They have to avoid
predators. They are in constant search
for food, particularly through difficult winters and droughts. But we also heard such people, apparently
unaware of their own contradictions, that the in-town deer were fat and healthy
and bore more young than their wilderness counterparts. All the deer that we saw in Kimberley certainly looked healthy, fat and
sleek and since they are nowhere far from wooded forests they obviously chose
to be there.
In fact, residents who closely observed
them assured us that the deer move freely from what we’d think of as classic
deer habitat, the mountain forests and fields that border and penetrate the
town borders, and the residential areas.
Furthermore many folks love to have them around. Certainly the tourists enjoy seeing such
magnificent wildlife up close.
And so a team was assembled and with
consummate skill managed to catch some twenty deer in Kimberley and nearby Marysville, mostly at
the edge of residential areas, with a shooter firing darts into them, and then
following the animal until, minutes later, they became drowsy, and then fell
into a deep sleep. Once unconscious the
deer were examined for health, ticks, age, and sex (does were preferentially
selected, and if they were with last year’s young an effort was made to get
both, although the odd buck without antlers was also captured) and placed in a
trailer, awakened with an antidote and given a calming tranquilizer. Eventually the deer were driven to a carefully
chosen release site far away from town sites.
Only one out of this original twenty died during this process, probably
asphyxiating from recently ingested food.
The risk of that happening is why doctors, and veterinarians, order
fasting for patients planning to have a general anaesthetic. At least she was unconscious when she died
and did not suffer. If it had been the
usual lethal cull all 20 animals would have died a brutally applied death.
After we left the team moved north to
another town, and as I write this, another deer was found killed by a
cougar. Remember, though, that most
animals were not radio-collared so results are very preliminary.
But we saw what we were hoping to
achieve, at least for now. Both lethal
culling and translocation (and I’d add fertility control) are unlikely to do
much, if anything, to ultimately resolve concerns of people not wanting the
deer in town, but they serve a political function by showing complainers (the
only ones politicians heed) that “something is being done”. When the relocation project for Kimberley was completed,
Liz and I, later joined by a local friend who knew the area well, drove to the
various sites where deer had been taken and there seemed to be as many as
always. More deer move in to take the
places of those removed. Reduced
competition for resources means enhanced survivability and fecundity for those
who remain, in town and in adjoining woodlands, something called the “rebound
effect” or “compensatory mortality”.
But it is a step taken away from simply
killing the animals.
The issue is complex. Kimberley
is showing an extremely progressive attitude by implementing the kinds of
actions that reduce the attractiveness of the town to deer. These include volunteers picking up apples
fallen from trees; leash laws enforced for dogs in conjunction with public
education; no edible garbage made available overnight; encouraging deer fencing
and planting of flowers, trees and shrubs less or not attractive to deer as
food and a stop to feeding deer. The
decidedly lower number of deer in town is a testimony to the effectiveness of
these methods, although detractors claim it was a major cull of about 100 deer
some years ago that did the trick. I beg
to differ simply because other communities that implemented lethal culls but
did not take the steps Kimberley
has taken to keep deer numbers down actually saw more, not fewer, deer after
the killing.
And we were pleased to encounter many
local people who assured us that whatever their views on deer in town, they
were happier that they were not being killed.
One of the biggest downsides to the lethal culling, in my opinion, was
how divisive it is within the community.
Kimberley’s city council is, to its
credit, open and transparent (in contrast to neighboring Cranbrook) and is actively seeking an
intelligent and compassionate solution to human/deer interactions.
Friday, 19 February 2016
The case of the Chatham-Kent Dogfighting Survivor Dogs
Dogs forced to fight
- against their will.
Now we must fight to save them.
By Vicki Van Linden, Director
Twenty-one Pit bull dogs, victims of the brutal crime of dog-fighting, are in grave danger of being destroyed very soon.
The Ontario SPCA has given up on them and say that they cannot be saved. It is reported that on March 10th, 2016, they will seek the court’s permission to destroy the remaining dogs.
But, we know that there are organizations in the US that have successfully rehabilitated such dogs. Have those organizations been approached to provide their expertise? Has every effort been made to transfer these dogs outside of Ontario, placing them in the hands of those trained to work with survivor-dogs?
As dogs abused in fight rings they deserve specialized assessment from those with particular expertise. We need to be sure that every effort has been made to explore all such organizations to obtain help for these dogs. We want to know that no stone has been left unturned.
Twenty-one Pit bull dogs, victims of the brutal crime of dog-fighting, are in grave danger of being destroyed very soon.
The Ontario SPCA has given up on them and say that they cannot be saved. It is reported that on March 10th, 2016, they will seek the court’s permission to destroy the remaining dogs.
But, we know that there are organizations in the US that have successfully rehabilitated such dogs. Have those organizations been approached to provide their expertise? Has every effort been made to transfer these dogs outside of Ontario, placing them in the hands of those trained to work with survivor-dogs?
As dogs abused in fight rings they deserve specialized assessment from those with particular expertise. We need to be sure that every effort has been made to explore all such organizations to obtain help for these dogs. We want to know that no stone has been left unturned.
Most of us have read about the survivor dogs of the Michael Vick dogfighting ring, known as the Vicktory Dogs. Heather Gutshall adopted one of those survivors, a dog named Handsome Dan. Heather not only lives with this survivor in her home, she has evaluated and rehabilitated many other survivors. She is experienced at evaluating such dogs and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant, holding credentials; CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed) and ACDBS (Associate Certified Dog Behavior Consultant.)
Ms. Gutshall, who lives in Rhode Island, has offered to travel to Ontario to evaluate the Chatham-Kent dogs, free of charge.
If there are viable offers of assistance available, why is the OSPCA seemingly determined to go it alone, even if this results in all of the dogs being killed?
Many people are concerned about the dogs and deserve to know that these poor animals have been given every consideration.
Having
them assessed by those who
have had success rehabilitating dogfighting survivors would
meet that criteria.Why does this case matter? Because we know that groups in the United States have rehabilitated former fighting dogs. These dogs deserve the same opportunity.
If we cannot find the compassion to better protect these most abused and suffering of dogs, this will surely be a testament to the inadequate state of animal protection in our province.
Ontario could embrace these dogs as inspiration for a new beginning for improved animal welfare in Ontario. A more forward-thinking approach could set our province on a new path.
The lives of the Chatham-Kent fight survivor-dogs matter.
And the future of
animal protection in Ontario
matters too.
For anyone in Ontario who wants our provincial leaders to dig deep and do better, now is the time to let them know.
Emails can be sent to:
The Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
Minister Yasir Naqvi
ynaqvi.mpp@liberal.ola.org
For anyone in Ontario who wants our provincial leaders to dig deep and do better, now is the time to let them know.
Emails can be sent to:
The Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
Minister Yasir Naqvi
ynaqvi.mpp@liberal.ola.org
Anne Buonaiuto, Executive Assistant:
abuonaiuto@ospca.on.ca
and
Brad Dewar, Inspector:
bdewar@ospca.on.ca
Join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter: #SaveDogfightingSurvivors
You can read more about Heather Gutshall’s rescue group called Handsome Dan’s Rescue and learn more about two special dogfighting survivors, Handsome Dan and Tillie at: http://www.handsomedansrescue.org/
Read about a rescue group called Bad Rap, who rehabilitated some of the Vick dogs and were instrumental in giving them their chance at life.
http://www.badrap.org/vick-dogs
Read about Best Friends Sanctuary, where some of the Vick dogs received their first experiences in rehabilitation.
http://bestfriends.org/sanctuary/explore-sanctuary/dogtown/vicktory-dogs
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Undercover footage shows the cruelty of Cranbrook's secret deer cull
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
BRITISH
COLUMBIA, January 12, 2016:
In mid-December 2015, Cranbrook
began to cull deer without notification to area residents. The only public notification came from the BC
Deer Protection Society and Animal Alliance of Canada in an ad that ran in the
Cranbrook Townsman prior to the start of the cull.
On Friday, January 8, 2016, the BC Deer Protection Society
lodged a formal complaint to the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural
Resource Operations about incidents involving fawns in Clover traps. The incidents which show the cruelty of the
cull, were captured through photographs and video footage.
Two incidents in particular reveal violations of the terms
of the cull permit issued by the Minister.
Footage for one incident shows a fawn captured in a trap
(unedited video documents the fawn pacing for over two hours). The cull contactors arrive, collapsing the
trap on the animal and applying the bolt gun.
The cull contractors stand and the fawn moves. They apply the bolt gun a second time. The fawn moves again as the contractors try
to erect the trap. They drop it and
observe the fawn. One contractor starts
to reach for the bolt gun but stops.
They proceed again to erect the trap and drag the fawn away by the hind leg. In both cases the fawn is seen moving. The cull contractor returns immediately
leaving the fawn still alive and unattended.
A total of six minutes passed between the arrival of the contractors and
the removal of the deer. (bcdeer.org)
Photographs from a second incident show two fawns entangled
in a trap that has collapsed on them.
They remain entangled and compressed for at least two hours prior to the
arrival of the cull contractors. It is
not known at this time whether the fawns’ struggle was so violent as to
dislodge the mechanism holding the trap upright or whether
the mechanism was faulty. Regardless,
no-one checked the trap during that two hour period to end the suffering of
these two animals. (bcdeer.org)
In the letter to the Minister, we urge him in the strongest
possible terms to end the cull, conduct a full investigation of the violations
of the permit and lay charges where appropriate. In addition, we ask that the permit for the current
contractor be revoked until the investigation is complete.
- 30 -
Contact: Devin Kazakoff: devin.kazakoff@gmail.com
Liz White: 1-416-462-9541 (23),
416-809-4371 (cell) or liz@animalalliance.ca
Barry MacKay,
1-905-472-9731 or mimus@sympatico.ca
Sherry Adams, 250-432-5238 (cell) or
shezza_ca@yahoo.com
Friday, 18 December 2015
Home for the Holidays?
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario’s new report levels stinging criticism of the spring bear hunt pilot
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO, November 3, 2015: Animal
Alliance of Canada and Zoocheck Canada
praise the Environmental Commissioner for her criticism of the Minister of
Natural Resources and Forestry’s decision to re-introduce the spring bear hunt.
In her 2014/2015 Annual Report, Small things Matter (http://eco.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2014_2015-AR.pdf) Ellen Schwartzel, Environmental Commissioner of
Ontario states “In implementing the pilot project, the MNRF: made a bear
management decision with incomplete information on the annual harvest; ignored
ministry research that calls into question the utility of the pilot project;
and disregarded the advice of the committee the ministry struck to review the
nuisance bear issues.”
“The Commissioner also points out that
the Ministry cut back on its Bear Wise programme” said Barry MacKay, Director,
Zoocheck Canada. “In fact, the Bear Wise programme has largely
disappeared in reality and the Wynne government has downloaded responsibility
for human bear interactions on local communities.”
“We feel vindicated by the comments of
the Environmental Commissioner about the Ministry’s pilot hunt. These are exactly the issues we raised in our
court case and in our EBR submission to the Minister in response to the
announced pilot in 2014”, said Liz White, Director, Animal Alliance.
“You have to ask – why would the Premier
and Minister disregard their own scientists and advisors and make a decision to
expand the hunt so substantially?” White asks.
Despite the ECO’s concerns, Minister
Bill Mauro intends to expand the spring hunt to Americans and other non-residents
in all applicable wildlife management units.
The decision is posted on the Environmental Registry for comment until
the end of November.
- 30 -
Liz White: 416-462-9541 ex: 23 / liz@animalalliance.ca
Barry MacKay: 905-472-9731 / mimus@sympatico.ca
Friday, 9 October 2015
Helping Outdoor Dogs. Getting Them Off the Chain!
by Vicki Van Linden
Director, Animal Alliance of Canada
They are lonely
dogs.
They
bark and cry in distress.Their boredom and misery remain a constant.
Many live their entire lives chained or penned in kennels as a regular way of life. They suffer social isolation, lack of exercise and extreme loneliness. It is a miserable existence that no social animal should be forced to endure.
Neighbours are disturbed by the barking and suffering, and their own feeling of helplessness.
Such animal-keeping practices allow intolerable suffering, divides communities, and places enormous stress on animal service agencies and humane societies. Yet many municipalities have very few tools to assist residents who witness the suffering, and to provide their own staff with the necessary tools to intervene.
Chaining is the worst of the practices inflicted on outdoor dogs. Dogs have even died from strangulation when they attempted to jump over a fence while chained at the neck. Penning or kennelling is less harmful than being chained but is equally cruel because of the lack of exercise, attention, and companionship.
Animal cruelty laws are usually not detailed enough to assist these dogs. A Humane Officer might recognize that a dog is suffering emotionally and in distress, but if the animal is in an acceptable physical condition anti-cruelty laws may not give the officer enough tools to help the dog.
The good news is that there are specific municipal laws that regulate how outdoor dogs must be kept and provide an effective way to assist these suffering dogs and the neighbours who have been made to live near them.
In jurisdictions across North American communities have passed laws that mandate how long a dog can be made to live outside during a 24 hour period.
Windsor, Mississauga and several communities in British Columbia have already passed bylaws. More than one hundred communities in the U.S have also passed such laws.
The province of Nova Scotia passed a province-wide law that regulates tethering/chaining in 2014.
The province of New Brunswick also passed a law that states: “Dog tethering is not permitted for more than 30 minutes between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am unless the owner or person responsible is outside and within 25 metres of the dog.”
The City of Windsor, Ontario does not allow a dog to be chained or tethered for longer than 4 hours in a 24 hour period. Mississauga has a similar regulation making 4 hours the maximum time that a dog can be chained.
Some communities have also passed regulations that can be used to assist penned dogs.
In Markham, Ontario their bylaw states: “Animals in Markham must be provided with a clean, sanitary environment and adequate care that meets the physical and behavioural needs of the animal, such as food, water, shelter, warmth, physical exercise, attention and veterinary care.”
The goal of such bylaws is to ensure that no dogs are made to live entire lives as backyard dogs, but must be brought inside the home each and every day, as well as during extremes of weather - hot or cold.
Enough communities have passed such laws that there are now several examples for other communities to refer to.
We can end this practice if we have sufficient political will.
Tuesday, 25 August 2015
Lost Pets Used in Research
POUND SEIZURE
by Vicki Van Linden
Director, Animal Alliance of Canada
What if your dog or cat became lost?
What if you could not locate your animal family member, in spite of your best efforts?What would your hopes be for your lost animal friend?
You would likely hope that a kind person would keep your friend until he or she was returned to you.
If fate is not so kind and your friend is never returned to you, you likely hope that your beloved companion would find another loving home. And, when companion animals like dogs and cats are lucky, that was what happens.
Not all dogs and cats are so lucky.
For some lost, stray or abandoned dogs and cats, a fate that violates all of our protective values is in store for them. Some of them will be purchased by research laboratories where they will be subjected to experimentation in ways that will cause them pain, fear and distress. This actually takes place all across Canada. It is referred to as pound seizure or pound release, the practice of taking lost, homeless and abandoned dogs and cats from animal control facilities or pounds for use in experimentation (research, teaching and testing).
Every province allows dogs and cats from municipally-funded or contracted animal pounds/shelters to be turned over to research facilities. Ontario is sadly unique in that the practice is actually mandated under the ‘Animals for Research Act.’ This means that if a research facility choses to do so, they could actually demand that animals from a municipally-funded animal shelter/pound be turned over for their use, even if the shelter workers do not wish to comply.
The story of a dog named Royal, and the family who loved him, is a stark illustration of the horror of Pound Seizure.
Royal was a 13-year-old Golden Retriever who was much loved, and had lived with his guardian since he was a pup. One day Royal wandered away from his property. But Royal was found by people who wanted to help him so they brought him to the Arteeka Canine Control facility, the animal control pound/shelter contracted for that area. They liked Royal so much that they stated they would like to adopt him if his family did not claim him.
Royal was tattooed and wore a collar with his name embroidered on it, and his dog tags were attached.
In spite of all of this evidence that Royal was a loved family pet, and in spite of there being a ready adoptive home for him, Royal was quickly sold to the University of Guelph for use in research. The Arteeka Canine Control facility actually violated the Act by turning Royal over before the full 4 day holding period required by law had expired.
Royal was quickly deemed to be unsuitable for research, likely due to his age, and was killed at the University of Guelph.
Then, as a further indignity, the Ministry responsible for the University had to be forced to confirm to Royal’s loving guardian, Laurie Bishop, that the dog she had loved since he was a pup had been killed at their facility.
Royal died alone. The pound keeper did not look out for Royal. Nor did the University of Guelph. Royal was nothing more than a potential test subject. And, Royal could be your dog.
There is good news from this sad story. Today the vast majority of shelters in Ontario have stood against this practice so animals are not going to research from those facilities. Still, there are pounds, especially in smaller communities, that still hand over animals for research. The dogs and cats that are desirable to researchers are those who are docile, in other words, are adoptable as pets. All lost, stray or abandoned pets deserve to have every effort made to find them a loving adoptive home – not sent to a life of suffering, fear and death in a laboratory. We believe that no lost dog or cat should ever be used as research subjects. This is the ultimate betrayal of a lost friend.
For these reasons, we ask all Ontarians to help us bring an end to POUND SEIZURE in Ontario – the ultimate betrayal of a lost dog or cat - by banning the use of lost pets in research.
We urge Ontario citizens to download and mail a sign-on letter addressed to Premier Kathleen Wynne by clicking here. Or better yet, write a letter in your own words.
Ask the Premier of Ontario to amend the Animals for Research Act to:
1) ban the release of lost, stray or abandoned dogs and cats from Ontario pounds for animal experimentation; and
2) to ban the import of lost, stay or abandoned pets for experimentation from other provinces in Canada.
Canadian citizens in other provinces can also protect companion animals by contacting their own Premiers to ask that the surrender of lost, stray or abandoned dogs and cats from pounds and shelters be banned.
Research facilities in all provinces should also ban the importation of former pets from other jurisdictions.
Thursday, 30 July 2015
Cecil and the Killer
by Barry Kent MacKay,
Senior Program Associate, Born Free USA's Canadian Representative
Animal Alliance of Canada, Director
© Bryan Orford/YouTube
Unless you've been sequestered on the back side of the moon, you probably know by now that, in early July, Walter Palmer, a 55-year-old dentist from Minnesota, illegally killed Cecil, a lion who had lived in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. Cecil, age 13, wore a radio collar installed by researchers from Oxford University. He neither feared nor threatened human visitors to the park, including numerous tourists who photographed him, often as he strolled down park roads or rested in the middle of the road, truly looking like a king. With his distinctive black mane, he was surely among the most charismatic of the rapidly vanishing charismatic megafauna of Africa—a handsome cat, indeed.
Palmer allegedly paid more than $50,000 to Bushman Safari, whose owner, Theo Bronkhorst (reportedly "a professional hunter" and member of the Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guides Association [ZPHGA]), is now "suspended indefinitely" from ZPHGA, pending investigation of the hunt that took Cecil's life. Bronkhorst and the owner of the farm where Palmer shot Cecil have been charged with poaching offenses. Cecil had been lured from the relative safety of the park by tying a dead animal to a vehicle, and reportedly using a "spotlight" to illuminate the lion.
It has been further reported that Palmer's arrow only wounded Cecil, who was then tracked for 40 hours before being found, shot with a rifle, skinned, and decapitated... the headless body left behind.
The poachers then tried to destroy the radio collar, presumably realizing it could provide evidence of their perfidy. But, they bungled that, too, and Cecil's remains were found, and charges were laid (although not against Parker, who, as of the time I am writing, is in hiding, his dental office closed).
In a press release, Palmer claimed innocence: "I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt. I have not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the U.S. about this situation, but will assist them in any inquiries they may have. Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion."
In 2008, he pleaded guilty in a federal court to misleading a federal agent investigating the killing of a black bear in Wisconsin, 40 miles outside of where his permit would have allowed the legal killing of the animal. He got one year's probation and a fine of nearly $3,000, according to the Star Tribune. He has also paid a fine for fishing without a license: a misdemeanor that, like the rest of his unfortunate history, would remain unknown to most people, but for Cecil's radio collar.
Palmer has numerous photos of himself posing with hunted animals: an elk, a mule deer, a cape buffalo, a rhino, and a warthog, among others.
A warthog? Well, the animal had big tusks—which are, I guess, to guys fixated on large horns, antlers, or thick and beautiful manes (as Cecil had), important additions to the trophy room. Big tusks are, too. (No surprise; he has shot an elephant.)
Palmer has been credited with 43 kills, including moose, mountain lion, and polar bear, by Safari Club International (SCI), which boasts 55,000 members worldwide. SCI loves to keep lists of measurements of their members' various victims. Palmer's "kills" are all with bow and arrow, and we'll never know how many "kills" were as cruelly bungled as Cecil's death. Palmer bragged that he could put an arrow through a playing card 100 yards away.
SCI appeals to the rich and uncompassionate. Society would generally frown upon SCI's love of killing beautiful animals ("love" being Palmer's word)—and so the group claims to be conservationist, thus serving a cause more noble than mere bloodlust. The large amounts of money these people are willing to spend for the ‘privilege' of ending the lives of the most magnificent of animals is, they claim, used to conserve animals... as if that justifies the killing.
Cecil's death belies all that. Lions are in decline in Africa, and by removing a viable male, the likelihood is that Cecil's cubs will be killed by the next lion in the community's pecking order—thus reducing still further the number of individuals and genetic variation of a species in freefall decline. Furthermore, whatever—if any—of Palmer's money may fund conservation, Cecil was far more valuable alive, drawing tourists to Hwange National Park from around the world.
Precisely because trophy hunting is inherently unethical to so many people, and tends to focus on removing the healthiest individuals, it has to be constrained. The favored way of doing so is by charging high license fees. This seems to make it all the more attractive to military leaders, executives, and highly paid professionals, who seem to delight in wealth-fueled power over others. They are the "might makes right" crowd who is used to getting its own way.
There is no aspect of the trophy hunt that can be accomplished without slaughtering magnificent and often rare animals (or "taking," to use their word for it).
The killing aspect is important to trophy hunters. Consider, for example, the game farms of Texas and elsewhere. Hunters go into huge, fenced compounds and shoot a "trophy" of a species that is native to Africa or Asia, without the cost of going to Africa or Asia, or the inconvenience of hunting for an animal who can get away. It's as "sporting" as killing a lion who's unafraid of people and dazzled by a spotlight—easier, in fact, because the fence is always there—and they don't have to spend 40 hours searching for the wounded, as Palmer did with Cecil.
By all accounts to date, the extent of Palmer's "remorse" is not that he shot a lion—but that he shot that particular lion, and got found out. Killing does not seem to bother him at all. On the contrary, he is shown all over the internet, grinning over the bodies of his victims. He is actually proud, it seems, of what he does.
I believe that these trophy hunters are the rewarded, the privileged, the elite: secure in a relatively rarified air of insulation from what is felt by the majority of people, whose ethical compass they will never understand. They are the entitled, given power by money or position. Usually, they remain well hidden within our midst. Yes, Palmer got caught. But, he's one of many: at least 55,000, I'd estimate. And, there are still more who yearn to join their ranks and kill innocent, beautiful, valuable creatures.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Barry
Tuesday, 14 July 2015
A Hero who chose compassion over killing now needs heroes to save his job
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO,
July 14, 2015: When two orphaned bear cubs needed a
hero to save their lives, British Columbia conservation officer Bryce Casavant acted,
even though his superiors had ordered him to kill the young bears.
For disobeying the order to kill, Officer Casavant is being punished by being suspended from his job. It is not clear if Officer Casavant will be reinstated after the matter is fully investigated.
We think this is wrong.
Liz White, Director of Animal Alliance of Canada, says: “We need to encourage conservation officers, like Officer Casavant, not punish them. Officer Casavant values the lives of these cubs, an admirable quality in a conservation officer.”
Officer Casavant did not act recklessly when he refused to kill the bear cubs after their mother was killed for breaking into a freezer where food was stored. The Officer had the two cubs assessed by a veterinarian and then transferred them to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association. This rehabilitation centre is experienced with the rehabilitation and release of bears into the wild, and they have stated they believe the cubs are good candidates for release next year.
Whether these two cubs will get that chance, and whether Officer Casavant will keep his job, still has to be decided. It is critical that B.C. government authorities make the right choices.
That is why we are asking Canadians to contact B.C. Environment Minister Mary Polak, and B.C. Premier Christy Clark, to let them know that the two cubs, named Jordan and Athena, deserve their chance at a natural life and should not be killed.
The government should also provide the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association assistance to care for Jordan and Athena for the next 18 months until they can be released back into the wild. Too often donor-funded groups do the work that government agencies should do.
And, Officer Casavant must be reinstated without censure.
Animal Alliance of Canada hopes that this incident can mobilize public opinion and increase the political pressure on the B.C. government to enact policies that encourage responsible wildlife rehabilitation so that B.C. conservation officers are not in constant fear of losing their livelihoods when they do the right thing and help animals.
For disobeying the order to kill, Officer Casavant is being punished by being suspended from his job. It is not clear if Officer Casavant will be reinstated after the matter is fully investigated.
We think this is wrong.
Liz White, Director of Animal Alliance of Canada, says: “We need to encourage conservation officers, like Officer Casavant, not punish them. Officer Casavant values the lives of these cubs, an admirable quality in a conservation officer.”
Officer Casavant did not act recklessly when he refused to kill the bear cubs after their mother was killed for breaking into a freezer where food was stored. The Officer had the two cubs assessed by a veterinarian and then transferred them to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association. This rehabilitation centre is experienced with the rehabilitation and release of bears into the wild, and they have stated they believe the cubs are good candidates for release next year.
Whether these two cubs will get that chance, and whether Officer Casavant will keep his job, still has to be decided. It is critical that B.C. government authorities make the right choices.
That is why we are asking Canadians to contact B.C. Environment Minister Mary Polak, and B.C. Premier Christy Clark, to let them know that the two cubs, named Jordan and Athena, deserve their chance at a natural life and should not be killed.
The government should also provide the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association assistance to care for Jordan and Athena for the next 18 months until they can be released back into the wild. Too often donor-funded groups do the work that government agencies should do.
And, Officer Casavant must be reinstated without censure.
Animal Alliance of Canada hopes that this incident can mobilize public opinion and increase the political pressure on the B.C. government to enact policies that encourage responsible wildlife rehabilitation so that B.C. conservation officers are not in constant fear of losing their livelihoods when they do the right thing and help animals.
-
30 -
Liz White, Director
416-462-9541 ext: 23 / liz@animalalliance.ca
416-462-9541 ext: 23 / liz@animalalliance.ca
Animal Alliance of Canada
is committed to animal protection through politics, advocacy and education.
Since 1990, Animal Alliance of Canada has been bringing together dedicated
professionals with proven records in animal and environmental protection,
together we work on local, national, and international educational and
legislative advocacy initiatives to protect animals and our environment. Online
at animalalliance.ca
Friday, 10 July 2015
Open Letter to Premier Notley
July 10, 2015
The Honourable Rachel Notley, M.L.A., Premier of the Province of Alberta
Office of the Premier
Room 307
Legislature Building 10800-97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 427-2251
Fax: (780) 427-1349
Dear Premier:
RE: Animal cruelty at the Calgary Stampede
We, the Directors of Animal Alliance of Canada, strongly and urgently request that the Chuckwagon Race events taking place at the Calgary Stampede cease immediately.
We further request that Chuckwagon Races and all other events that negatively impact the animals be permanently removed from all future Calgary Stampede schedules.
Two horses have already been injured, resulting in their being destroyed.
These deaths have occurred after the Calgary Stampede Directors have made adjustments to how the races are conducted in an attempt to make them safer for both human and animal participants. Clearly, those changes have not made this event safer nor is it really possible to do so given the nature of the event itself. Year after year we hear expressions of regret from Stampede organizers as horses suffer and die in the name of entertainment.
We believe that horse injury and death cannot simply be attributed to human error. Humans do make errors, especially during an event such as this. The event is of itself unacceptably dangerous and distressing for the horses made to participate.
More than 50 horses have died as a result of being forced to participate in the Chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede since 1986, according to reports. These recent deaths clearly demonstrate that this event is inhumane and unacceptably dangerous to animals in its essential design. Chuckwagon racing causes distress and injury to animals and so must be stopped immediately and not reinstated.
It is our position and belief that under the statutes of the Alberta Animal Protection Act that there are legislative grounds for deeming this event to cause and permit undue distress to animals.
We note that the industries and uses that are exempt from this statute, such as animal care, management, husbandry, hunting, fishing, trapping, pest control or slaughter, do not include entertainment.
Chuckwagon racing cannot be considered to be an extension of agricultural use and should not be exempt on those grounds. Chuckwagon racing is clearly designed for the sole purpose of providing entertainment and as such is not an exempt activity or use.
Further, our position and belief is that under the Alberta Animal Protection Act that Peace Officers working with the Calgary Humane Society and the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have both the power and the duty to act in this matter.
We call on all parties that have influence, including:
all Directors of the Calgary Stampede,
the Calgary Humane Society
The Alberta SPCA
The Mayor and Council of Calgary
The Premier of Alberta
and all Canadian citizens to act as soon as possible to end this event immediately to prevent further injury, distress and death to animals.
We kindly request a response.
Respectfully,
The Directors of Animal Alliance of Canada
cc: Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Honourable Rachel Notley, M.L.A., Premier of the Province of Alberta
Office of the Premier
Room 307
Legislature Building 10800-97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 427-2251
Fax: (780) 427-1349
Dear Premier:
RE: Animal cruelty at the Calgary Stampede
We, the Directors of Animal Alliance of Canada, strongly and urgently request that the Chuckwagon Race events taking place at the Calgary Stampede cease immediately.
We further request that Chuckwagon Races and all other events that negatively impact the animals be permanently removed from all future Calgary Stampede schedules.
Two horses have already been injured, resulting in their being destroyed.
These deaths have occurred after the Calgary Stampede Directors have made adjustments to how the races are conducted in an attempt to make them safer for both human and animal participants. Clearly, those changes have not made this event safer nor is it really possible to do so given the nature of the event itself. Year after year we hear expressions of regret from Stampede organizers as horses suffer and die in the name of entertainment.
We believe that horse injury and death cannot simply be attributed to human error. Humans do make errors, especially during an event such as this. The event is of itself unacceptably dangerous and distressing for the horses made to participate.
More than 50 horses have died as a result of being forced to participate in the Chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede since 1986, according to reports. These recent deaths clearly demonstrate that this event is inhumane and unacceptably dangerous to animals in its essential design. Chuckwagon racing causes distress and injury to animals and so must be stopped immediately and not reinstated.
It is our position and belief that under the statutes of the Alberta Animal Protection Act that there are legislative grounds for deeming this event to cause and permit undue distress to animals.
We note that the industries and uses that are exempt from this statute, such as animal care, management, husbandry, hunting, fishing, trapping, pest control or slaughter, do not include entertainment.
Chuckwagon racing cannot be considered to be an extension of agricultural use and should not be exempt on those grounds. Chuckwagon racing is clearly designed for the sole purpose of providing entertainment and as such is not an exempt activity or use.
Further, our position and belief is that under the Alberta Animal Protection Act that Peace Officers working with the Calgary Humane Society and the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have both the power and the duty to act in this matter.
We call on all parties that have influence, including:
all Directors of the Calgary Stampede,
the Calgary Humane Society
The Alberta SPCA
The Mayor and Council of Calgary
The Premier of Alberta
and all Canadian citizens to act as soon as possible to end this event immediately to prevent further injury, distress and death to animals.
We kindly request a response.
Respectfully,
The Directors of Animal Alliance of Canada
cc: Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Thursday, 9 July 2015
Why are Canadian animal protection laws still so weak?
What are our next steps?
by Vicki Van Linden, Director
In February of 2015, a woman was accused of hoarding 201 dogs on an Alberta property. Some dogs had broken bones and parasite infested wounds. Many were emaciated and in a state of severe malnutrition. Five dogs were discovered already deceased, believed to have died of starvation. This person already had a previous conviction for animal neglect issued in another province. Yet, she was able to acquire more than 200 dogs and keep them in her possession – even after being investigated again on concerns about dogs while living in another community.
In June of 2014, undercover video taken by an advocacy group, Mercy for Animals, revealed extreme acts of cruelty against cows on a British Columbia dairy farm. The video showed cows being punched, kicked and beaten with chains, tools, feet and fists. Some of these beatings were inflicted on downed or trapped cows who had no means of escape. An officer with the BC SPCA was reported saying that the video evidence indicated an urgent need for better standards to protect farm animals.
In July of 2015, a senior was taken into police custody in Calgary for allegedly killing three cats. When officers entered his yard, 15 rabbits were found to be living in distressing conditions. The man was keeping the rabbits to be used as food.
Why do otherwise progressive people accept and even support
industries that hurt and kill animals?
Why are Canadian laws that protect animals still so weak?
Why are Canadian laws that protect animals still so weak?
The concept of ‘Speciesism’ might help to explain. ‘Speciesism’ is a prejudice that devalues non-human animals,
in the same way that Racism and Sexism devalue differing groups of humans.
Simply put, the assumption of all prejudice is:
Simply put, the assumption of all prejudice is:
‘Because you are different from me, you are less than me,’ and:
‘Because you are less than me, your suffering matters less than mine,’ therefore:
‘Because your suffering matters less than mine, I am free to use you as I please.’
When it comes to animals ‘using them as we please’ is the norm for legally protected industries like farming, research, hunting and entertainment.
We know from history that once a group is devalued then abuses of the devalued group are easily justified. We offer protection only to those that we value.
Since the exploitation and use of animals can be very profitable, there is great opposition to raising the status of animals in even modern societies like ours.
People are often distressed that the horrors of puppy mills continue. How can something that is so obviously wrong be so difficult to stop? Why won’t governments just pass the laws needed to end the abuse of dogs, the most widely loved species of animals? Could it be that animal-using industries and their political supporters understand that there is not much difference between the suffering of a pig in a gestation crate and that of a dog in a puppy mill cage? Is that why puppy mill breeding dogs continue to be poorly protected, just as pigs, cows and chickens are poorly protected?
Animals as Property:
‘Because you are less than me, your suffering matters less than mine,’ therefore:
‘Because your suffering matters less than mine, I am free to use you as I please.’
When it comes to animals ‘using them as we please’ is the norm for legally protected industries like farming, research, hunting and entertainment.
We know from history that once a group is devalued then abuses of the devalued group are easily justified. We offer protection only to those that we value.
Since the exploitation and use of animals can be very profitable, there is great opposition to raising the status of animals in even modern societies like ours.
People are often distressed that the horrors of puppy mills continue. How can something that is so obviously wrong be so difficult to stop? Why won’t governments just pass the laws needed to end the abuse of dogs, the most widely loved species of animals? Could it be that animal-using industries and their political supporters understand that there is not much difference between the suffering of a pig in a gestation crate and that of a dog in a puppy mill cage? Is that why puppy mill breeding dogs continue to be poorly protected, just as pigs, cows and chickens are poorly protected?
Animals as Property:
Author and Lawyer, Lesli Bisgould, writes about the legal
protections that we give to animals in her book: ‘Animals and the Law’ (published
by Irwin Law inc. 2011.)
Bisgould writes: “…people do not treat animals badly because animals are property, animals are property so that people can treat them badly.”
How do we gain protections for animals as more than just someone’s property?
What are the next steps we need to work through to get better animal protection laws passed by our governments?
How do we help as many animals as we can, as quickly as we can?
Animals are suffering terribly right now, and cannot wait for a global awakening on the rights of non-human animals. If we keep in mind that the rights of women are still not enshrined in every nation on earth, how long will it be before animals of all species are no longer regarded as property to be exploited? Animals need help now.
Sentient beings:
New Zealand has passed legislation that grants the status of ‘sentient beings’ to animals. This designation recognizes that animals are more than mere objects but are living beings that experience both positive and negative emotions like pain, fear, and distress as well as joy and even love. Will such a change in legal status result in animals finally being given legal protection as more than just property?
Uncharted territory:
Nowhere on earth can we look to a nation that has already truly protected animals from exploitation and abuse. But we can see nations that are farther ahead than Canada is on this journey.
Still, there is no proven template to adopt, no sure road-map to follow.
We still have more questions than answers.
So, let’s keep talking. Let’s keep working. And, let’s not give up.
Bisgould writes: “…people do not treat animals badly because animals are property, animals are property so that people can treat them badly.”
How do we gain protections for animals as more than just someone’s property?
What are the next steps we need to work through to get better animal protection laws passed by our governments?
How do we help as many animals as we can, as quickly as we can?
Animals are suffering terribly right now, and cannot wait for a global awakening on the rights of non-human animals. If we keep in mind that the rights of women are still not enshrined in every nation on earth, how long will it be before animals of all species are no longer regarded as property to be exploited? Animals need help now.
Sentient beings:
New Zealand has passed legislation that grants the status of ‘sentient beings’ to animals. This designation recognizes that animals are more than mere objects but are living beings that experience both positive and negative emotions like pain, fear, and distress as well as joy and even love. Will such a change in legal status result in animals finally being given legal protection as more than just property?
Uncharted territory:
Nowhere on earth can we look to a nation that has already truly protected animals from exploitation and abuse. But we can see nations that are farther ahead than Canada is on this journey.
Still, there is no proven template to adopt, no sure road-map to follow.
We still have more questions than answers.
So, let’s keep talking. Let’s keep working. And, let’s not give up.
Wednesday, 3 June 2015
The spring bear hunt should die - not more bears
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 3, 2015
Public outrage over the death of the young bear in Newmarket, shot by police in full public view! The bear did not need to die.
Similar public outrage
would be directed to the Minister of Natural Resources if there was similar
public exposure during the spring bear hunt.
If the public witnessed bears shot by hunters from tree stands while
feeding on garbage bait piles, they would be incensed. If they saw female bears killed and cubs
orphaned and left to die of starvation or predation, they would be outraged.
Hunters call
this sport. We call it cruel. And it
should end. The fight to stop another sad and preventable death like the
Newmarket bear should be extended to all bears killed in the spring. The spring bear hunt should die this June –
not more bears.
Please help us
end the spring bear hunt. Call or e-mail
the Minister’s office and register your opposition. Contact the Honourable Bill Mauro, Minister
of Natural Resources and Forestry at 416-341-2301 or e-mail at bmauro.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org.
For further
information call Liz White, Animal Alliance of Canada,
416-462-9541
ext: 23
Thursday, 26 February 2015
Oak Bay Deer Cull: First Impressions
Born Free USA Canadian Projects
24 February 2015
Barry Kent MacKay, Senior Program Associate for Born Free USA, is writing a special blog series about deer culling. Below is the first installment.
Killing is how we solve problems, I thought, as I listened to the news in my hotel room in Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. U.S. president Obama had requested authorization for use of military force against terrorists in the Middle East. In my country, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was beating the war drums, his promise that Canadian troops would act only as advisors and not come under fire in Iraq, shattered.
That was big stuff involving war leaders and world events, and seemed very distant from the determinedly civil environs of Oak Bay: a municipality of the Capital Regional District, collectively called Victoria, B.C. It was a residential jurisdiction filled with lush gardens, quaint pubs and tea shops, golf courses and schools, a marina, and an appealing mixture of ivied mansions and more modest but attractive residences. And yet, the night before, I had attended a meeting of Oak Bay council, where the issue was killing—not people, but deer.
As happens across the continent, municipal politicians had received complaints that there were "too many" deer. So, as is typical of our species, the response was essentially, "Well, let's kill some of them." Killing has universal appeal as a problem-solver. Here, the two main issues seem to be that the deer were eating garden plants, and that they posed a risk to drivers, children, and the elderly.
Not even excepting the American southeast, I don't think I have seen gardens more lush than in Victoria—and it was February! Back home, there were no flowers; just snow. More to the point, in exploring the streets, parks, golf courses, and school grounds of Oak Bay, I saw virtually no signs of the heavy browse lines or denuded foliage one finds when deer populations are high.
"What's a browse line?," I was asked by locals. It is the line that appears at the highest point deer can reach when consuming vegetation. If the vegetation is denuded below that line, it means food for deer is getting scarce. Even when there is a distinct browse line, the deer are often healthy. In Oak Bay, in spite of driving and walking through the community, I saw one deer, and she appeared to be in splendid health. These deer are not over-populated by any definition. They are part of the environment, and it is an environment that, like every other, changes through time and puts limits on what can be grown. I can grow a fraction of the variety of plant species that gardeners enjoy in Victoria.
The other problem I most often heard was that there were collisions between deer and cars. We have a demonstrably successful program in Ottawa, Ontario called "Speeding Costs You Deerly" that works well, yet I encountered no indication that the District would even consider such non-lethal options.
But, the real irony is that the cull will not work—and residents will likely never know—because the council has decided to spend taxpayers' money killing deer with virtually no consultation or accountability. We don't even know, as of this writing, if the cull has started. When asked directly at the council meeting, the mayor said he would not tell residents when the cull began.
Deer culls typically result in what is called "rebound effect" or "compensatory mortality," which means that, when a population is decreased, females become more fertile, natural mortality and competition for resources are reduced, fawn survival is enhanced, and, in consequence, numbers increase above what they were originally.
But, when we analyze the data, we find that the number of collisions are low and that most occur on three particular roads (where there need to be lower speed limits that are properly enforced, as well as better signage, which would go a long way to reducing collisions and the number of cars damaged and the number of deer hurt or killed).
The deer involved are of the "black-tailed" race of the mule deer. They are native to Vancouver Island, where they are in severe decline in their traditional forest habitat. But, their numbers are "exploding," according to Oak Bay mayor Nils Jensen. Whenever any wildlife species increases, we are told that its population is "exploding." No one knows how many deer are in Oak Bay, and after searching it from top to bottom for a week (and seeing only one) and having done wildlife surveys, I would think that anything approaching an accurate count would not be possible. No matter; no effort has been taken to determine what number would be "satisfactory." (Zero?) And, at any rate, the council has decided that it can afford to kill up to 25 deer without bothering to consider if that is enough, if it is too many, or if it will have any effect on population size at all.
Those will not necessarily be the ones munching the tulips or being hit by cars—but those unlucky enough to enter Clover traps. These are cage-like frameworks covered in mesh and baited with food. The animal enters the trap, trips the trigger that closes the door, and, trapped, waits until people arrive to jump on the trap, collapsing it onto the deer. One holds a "captive bolt" gun to the deer's head and fires it, sending a stout piece of iron into the animal's brain. Once the animal is dead (or, preferably, unconscious with the heart beating), it must be "bled out" quickly (if, as the law demands, the meat is to be saved). That part is uncertain, because Mayor Jensen believes in levels of secrecy more often associated with military planning. Did he or did he not get an exemption from what the law requires?
In future blogs, I will more carefully explain why this cull is both cruel and ineffective, look at alternative actions, and explore the thinking—so commonplace—that leads us to so quickly choose killing as the solution to our problems.
24 February 2015
Barry Kent MacKay, Senior Program Associate for Born Free USA, is writing a special blog series about deer culling. Below is the first installment.
 |
| Born Free USA / Barry MacKay |
That was big stuff involving war leaders and world events, and seemed very distant from the determinedly civil environs of Oak Bay: a municipality of the Capital Regional District, collectively called Victoria, B.C. It was a residential jurisdiction filled with lush gardens, quaint pubs and tea shops, golf courses and schools, a marina, and an appealing mixture of ivied mansions and more modest but attractive residences. And yet, the night before, I had attended a meeting of Oak Bay council, where the issue was killing—not people, but deer.
As happens across the continent, municipal politicians had received complaints that there were "too many" deer. So, as is typical of our species, the response was essentially, "Well, let's kill some of them." Killing has universal appeal as a problem-solver. Here, the two main issues seem to be that the deer were eating garden plants, and that they posed a risk to drivers, children, and the elderly.
Not even excepting the American southeast, I don't think I have seen gardens more lush than in Victoria—and it was February! Back home, there were no flowers; just snow. More to the point, in exploring the streets, parks, golf courses, and school grounds of Oak Bay, I saw virtually no signs of the heavy browse lines or denuded foliage one finds when deer populations are high.
"What's a browse line?," I was asked by locals. It is the line that appears at the highest point deer can reach when consuming vegetation. If the vegetation is denuded below that line, it means food for deer is getting scarce. Even when there is a distinct browse line, the deer are often healthy. In Oak Bay, in spite of driving and walking through the community, I saw one deer, and she appeared to be in splendid health. These deer are not over-populated by any definition. They are part of the environment, and it is an environment that, like every other, changes through time and puts limits on what can be grown. I can grow a fraction of the variety of plant species that gardeners enjoy in Victoria.
The other problem I most often heard was that there were collisions between deer and cars. We have a demonstrably successful program in Ottawa, Ontario called "Speeding Costs You Deerly" that works well, yet I encountered no indication that the District would even consider such non-lethal options.
But, the real irony is that the cull will not work—and residents will likely never know—because the council has decided to spend taxpayers' money killing deer with virtually no consultation or accountability. We don't even know, as of this writing, if the cull has started. When asked directly at the council meeting, the mayor said he would not tell residents when the cull began.
Deer culls typically result in what is called "rebound effect" or "compensatory mortality," which means that, when a population is decreased, females become more fertile, natural mortality and competition for resources are reduced, fawn survival is enhanced, and, in consequence, numbers increase above what they were originally.
But, when we analyze the data, we find that the number of collisions are low and that most occur on three particular roads (where there need to be lower speed limits that are properly enforced, as well as better signage, which would go a long way to reducing collisions and the number of cars damaged and the number of deer hurt or killed).
The deer involved are of the "black-tailed" race of the mule deer. They are native to Vancouver Island, where they are in severe decline in their traditional forest habitat. But, their numbers are "exploding," according to Oak Bay mayor Nils Jensen. Whenever any wildlife species increases, we are told that its population is "exploding." No one knows how many deer are in Oak Bay, and after searching it from top to bottom for a week (and seeing only one) and having done wildlife surveys, I would think that anything approaching an accurate count would not be possible. No matter; no effort has been taken to determine what number would be "satisfactory." (Zero?) And, at any rate, the council has decided that it can afford to kill up to 25 deer without bothering to consider if that is enough, if it is too many, or if it will have any effect on population size at all.
Those will not necessarily be the ones munching the tulips or being hit by cars—but those unlucky enough to enter Clover traps. These are cage-like frameworks covered in mesh and baited with food. The animal enters the trap, trips the trigger that closes the door, and, trapped, waits until people arrive to jump on the trap, collapsing it onto the deer. One holds a "captive bolt" gun to the deer's head and fires it, sending a stout piece of iron into the animal's brain. Once the animal is dead (or, preferably, unconscious with the heart beating), it must be "bled out" quickly (if, as the law demands, the meat is to be saved). That part is uncertain, because Mayor Jensen believes in levels of secrecy more often associated with military planning. Did he or did he not get an exemption from what the law requires?
In future blogs, I will more carefully explain why this cull is both cruel and ineffective, look at alternative actions, and explore the thinking—so commonplace—that leads us to so quickly choose killing as the solution to our problems.
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