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Federal Bill to End Elephant and Great Ape Captivity Referred to Committee

Bill S-15, sponsored by Senator Marty Klyne, has advanced to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs after completing second reading. During the debate on March 19, Senator Chantal Petitclerc voiced her support for the bill, stressing the importance of updating our laws to reflect current scientific understanding of animal suffering in captivity, and changing societal attitudes towards such practices. Critics of the bill, including Senator Claude Carignan and Senator Donald Neil Plett, Leader of the Opposition, criticized the bill as frivolous, arguing that it diverts attention from pressing national issues, such as economic struggles, crime rates, healthcare, and infrastructure. Plett also raised concerns that the bill's constraints could impede conservation efforts, despite ample evidence suggesting most zoos contribute minimally to conservation endeavours. Despite opposition, Plett supported sending the bill to committee for further study.

Hearing Postponed in City of London’s Legal Action Against Reptilia Zoo

Reptilia Zoo appeared in court on March 18 for a hearing about whether provincial licensing rules exempt the facility from the City of London’s Animal Control By-Law, which prohibits the display of exotic animals. Scheduled for five hours, the hearing lasted mere minutes as the City's lawyer requested an adjournment until April 12 due to delays in receiving necessary documents from Reptilia. Despite making three unsuccessful attempts to secure an exemption from the Animal Control By-Law through city council, Reptilia now contends that its provincial license grants it operational authority, regardless of the lack of a specific by-law exemption. The City is seeking an order to prevent Reptilia from operating in contravention of the by-law, along with a declaration affirming their non-exempt status.

Environment Minister Threatens Federal Action to Protect Quebec's Endangered Caribou

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has once again issued a warning, threatening to invoke federal powers to protect Quebec's endangered woodland caribou. Guilbeault said in a letter that Quebec has until May 1st to release its long-delayed caribou protection strategy or face potential federal intervention under the Species at Risk Act. Initially slated for release in June 2023, the Quebec government deferred the deadline for its strategy until the year's end. However, as of now, the plan has still not been released. The delay, attributed to ongoing assessment of the impact of recent forest fires on caribou, exacerbates concerns for the species already facing habitat destruction and industrial threats. Guilbeault's letter marks the third such warning to Quebec in two years.

Ontario Provincial Police Investigating After Emu Killed in Haldimand County

Haldimand Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are investigating after an emu was killed at a Fisherville property on March 13. Police responded to a complaint on Haldimand Road 20, where it was found that two intruders breached a fence to access a closed animal pen. The emu sustained fatal injuries, and surveillance footage is under scrutiny to identify the perpetrators. Authorities caution that animal cruelty is a serious criminal offense, punishable by up to five years' imprisonment. Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact Haldimand OPP or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

BC Government Announces Plan to Kill Twenty-Five Deer to Test for Chronic Wasting Disease

The British Columbia (BC) government plans to cull 25 deer in the Kootenay region following two positive cases of chronic wasting disease. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship will focus on a ten-kilometre radius around where the infected deer were discovered. According to the Ministry, samples collected from the cull will help determine the extent of the disease's spread. Chronic wasting disease, caused by abnormal prion proteins, poses serious health risks to both humans and animals. The province also recently begun mandatory testing for chronic wasting disease of any deer, moose, elk, and caribou killed on BC roads, and it has restricted how carcasses can be transported and disposed of around the area where the disease was first detected.

Conservation Group Releases Report, Finds Salmon Farms Impact Wildlife

Conservation group Watershed Watch Salmon Society (WWSS) has released a new report revealing the longstanding impacts of salmon farms on wildlife. The report compiles numbers of various species of wildlife in British Columbia that have been killed by open net-pen salmon farms since the 1990s, and according to WWSS, demonstrates how the federal government has been “languishing” with respect to their promise to transition away from open net-pen salmon farms by 2025. All 85 provincial aquaculture licenses are set to expire on June 30, an event that the WWSS sees as a “prime opportunity” for fisheries to fulfill the government’s promise by opting not to renew their licenses.

Three Dogs and a Moose Die in 2024 Iditarod, Reigniting Controversy

Three dogs died in this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, making it the deadliest year of this event since 2017. The dogs­­––Henry, George, and Bog––all collapsed on the trail. Pathologists will conduct necropsies to determine the causes of death. Additionally, race winner Dallas Seavey stirred controversy by killing a moose with a handgun during the race. Executive Vice President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Tracy Reiman, is calling for an end to the "nightmare," criticizing the race's disregard for animal safety and labeling it "the shame of Alaska."

Marineland Convicted of Animal Cruelty Over Treatment of Bears

Marineland, a Niagara Falls tourist attraction, has been convicted of three counts of animal cruelty under Ontario's Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act for the mistreatment of three black bears named Slash, Toad, and Lizzy. These bears were confined to enclosures as small as 48 square feet, with the females, Toad and Lizzy, sharing one enclosure while Slash lived alone. Ontario's Animal Welfare Services (AWS) laid charges in 2023 after Marineland failed to comply with orders to improve care, including to provide more space and water. AWS seized the bears in 2022 and relocated them to sanctuaries and charged Marineland for non-compliance with the orders. Marineland initially plead not guilty and sought a stay of the charges, which was denied, and later agreed to a statement of facts with the Crown, with Marineland’s lawyer saying that it would be sufficient “to make a finding of guilt.” Marineland faces a maximum fine of $100,000 for the first count and a $250,000 fine for the two subsequent counts.

Canada Bans Strychnine Poison for Wildlife Control

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has banned the use of strychnine poison to kill wild animals like wolves, coyotes, and black bears. This decision marks a reversal of PMRA's previous proposal, which would have allowed the continued use of both strychnine and Compound 1080. Strychnine has faced criticism for its cruel effects, including agonizing muscular convulsions that can last for hours or days. The ban will be phased out over six months, with strychnine no longer permitted after September 7, 2024. Leading animal welfare and conservation groups, including Animal Justice, Humane Society International/Canada, We Howl, and Wolf Awareness, have applauded the decision following years of advocacy. According to the re-evaluation decision, Health Canada will continue to register Compound 1080.

Miami Seaquarium Receives Eviction Notice

The Miami Seaquarium, a popular Florida tourist attraction, is being evicted from the property it leases from Miami-Dade County. In a lease termination notice sent to the Chief Executive Officer of The Dolphin Company, which owns the Seaquarium, Miami-Dade County, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava cited numerous violations including a lack of experienced staff and decaying habitats. The county had informed the park in January of a possible eviction after a review from the United States Department of Agriculture. A series of federal inspections revealed unsafe and structurally deficient buildings. The eviction notice requires the Seaquarium to vacate the premises by April 21, 2024.