Brooks Animal Law Digest

After nine months of review, the City of Toronto amended by-law Chapter 349, Animals (see above; Issue 4 Spotlights, Legislative Updates; Issue 18 Legislative Updates). During the City Council meeting on July 20th, nearly all Economic and Community Development Committee amendments were adopted. However, City Council Member, Shelley Carroll, introduced a motion abandoning her previous move to ban free-roaming owned cats, which carried. Instead, pet cats and pigeons will continue to be allowed to roam free in Toronto, with a provision that the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards will “continue to work on increasing the rate of licenses and/or micro-chipping of domestic cats and report back on potential changes to by-laws regarding domestic cat ownership when feasible.” In a news release, the Toronto City Council describes the amendments, including:

• Prohibiting the feeding of wildlife in Toronto, with some exceptions such as songbirds fed using bird feeders;
• Limiting the number of guinea pigs and rabbits to four per household;
• Limiting the number of domestic pigeons to thirty per property, with allowances for an increase to fifty during the breeding season (between April and October);
• Allowing dog owners twenty-four hours to remove dog waste from their property;
• Ensuring pets who are kept outdoors have adequate shelter to keep them safe during extreme weather conditions.

The Toronto City Council vote took place from 2:10 PM to 2:15 PM on July 20th, with twenty-one councilors voting "yes", two voting "no", and two absent votes. Watch the City Council vote here (animal by-law review vote beginning at 4:36:00). See the amended animal by-law here, and read about the review process here.

In July 2020, Pacific Wild Alliance (PWA) filed for a judicial review of the British Columbia “Caribou Recovery Program.” Part of the program includes issuing permits for contractors to kill wolves which threaten the endangered wild caribou population. PWA argued that the regulation authorizing the issuing of permits is an improper delegation of authority, the permits are invalid because they lack sufficient specificity, and that the practice of shooting wolves from aircrafts is federal jurisdiction and the province cannot legislate for such a practice. In response, the BC Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development argued that the permits were legal and additionally challenged the standing of PWA to bring the action. In his judgment, Justice Christopher Giaschi found that PWA did have standing to bring the action, but dismissed PWA’s challenge, meaning that the wolf cull is legal and may continue under the current structure. On the standing question, the judge noted that “[a]n additional consideration is the fact that the mammals most directly affected, the wolves, have no ability to bring the action” (para. 64). In an interview, lawyer for PWA, Rebeka Breder, stated that “if there is any silver lining to this decision, it’s that the court agreed with Pacific Wild that we have the right to speak on behalf of wolves in the courtroom.” Although the method of culling wolves was deemed legal, there is no way to ensure that the wolves do not unnecessarily suffer in the process. Read the judgment here and read more here.

Following a three-week trial, two of the #Excelsior4 activists, Amy Soranno and Nick Schafer, were found guilty of break and enter and mischief, while the third remaining individual of the #Excelsior4 group, Roy Sasano, was acquitted on a single mischief charge. (See earlier stories: Issue 11, Litigation Updates; Issue 12, Litigation Updates; Issue 16, Spotlights, Litigation Updates; Issue 19, Spotlights, Litigation Updates). A distressing video of a large pig corpse and dead piglets released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ignited the 2019 protest at a Fraser Valley Pig Farm in British Columbia. PETA stated that the video was provided anonymously and was reportedly filmed at Excelsior hog farm. The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which currently investigates and enforces cases of animal cruelty, did not recommend charges against the Abbotsford farm operators, stating that they could not reach any legal conclusions that an offence occurred, even though what was depicted raised concerns. The jury deliberated for ten hours. After the verdict was issued, Sorrano and the lawyer who represented Nick Schafer, Bibhas Vaze, raised the issue of possible jury bias in favour of the prosecution and farm. Read the #Excelsior4 statement here and read more here. A written version of the judgment is not yet available. The sentencing date has been set for August 26th 2022. There are no mandatory minimum sentences for either offence, both of which carry the possibility of jail time. Soranno stated that she and Schafer are discussing the possibility of appeal with their lawyers.

Tyler Totten, “Reece’s Pieces: The Limits of Law and the Life Sentences of Lucy the Elephant (PhD Dissertation)” (2022) Carleton University Research Virtual Environment. Download here.

12 July 2022

Abstract: In this dissertation, I examine the public debate over the welfare of Lucy, the zoo elephant at the heart of the 2011 Alberta Court of Appeal case of Reece v Edmonton (City). Attending to three sites of study ("species," "location," and "law"), I engage in a critical discourse analysis to uncover the conceptual limits within which this debate occurred with respect to animals and the law. Being socio-legal in nature, this is a case study not of Reece, but of "Reece's pieces" insofar as this project analyzes the discourse spread across print news media, websites, blogs, online videos, and social media feeds spanning from 2005 to 2018. Moving beyond the familiar legal animal studies binaries of welfarism versus abolitionism, property versus personhood, and so on, I use ecofeminist and posthumanist perspectives to uncover conceptual pressure points. For instance, while Lucy's trunk is alien in relation to human features, yet apparently capable of "human" capacities like art-making, go-to concepts of "the animal" and "the human" are found to be fundamentally unstable throughout this discourse. Similarly, insofar as the feel-good concept of "home" is deployed with respect to past, present, and would-be locations for Lucy, the discourse actively attempts to resist engaging with the conditions of a zoo elephant in North America -- ones that may actually imply that "home" is a fundamental impossibility for such a being. Relatedly, rather than the repeated deployment of criminal-law terms being a layperson's mistake when speaking of the civil lawsuit of Reece, this go-to legal language instead points to what is spoken around by all sides in the debate: the underlying power structures that accompany the figure of the captive elephant, with pastoral logics of care and carceral logics of punishment competing and combining in ways formal law cannot sufficiently articulate. Ultimately, in locating these limits, I spotlight what traditional ways of thinking one may need to move beyond if justice to animals is ever to be done, also identifying how and where the "life sentences" of the elephant at the heart of this debate may someday end.

With a new parliamentary decree, France became the first country to ban the use of animal product names on labels to market vegan foods. The decree prohibits labeling vegan food products using (i) names of animal species, (ii) terms specific to butchers, and (iii) names typically associated with animal products (such as vegan chicken nuggets, ribs, sausages, steak, egg, etc.). Read Decree No 2022-947 here and read more here.

A global coalition of 137 animal protection and conservation groups are calling on governments to ban trophy hunting imports. The Joint Position On Trophy Hunting, supported by the 137 organizations, highlights the unsustainable practice of trophy hunting which impacts endangered and protected species. The position also describes public opinion opposing the practice. Animal Justice, in support of a trophy hunting ban, noted that Canada is the world’s largest exporter of hunting trophies, responsible for fifty-four percent of global exports. Read Animal Justice’s blog here, and Humane Society International’s media post here.

With major airports across Canada facing flight cancellations, travel delays, and logistical challenges, including lost baggage, Air Canada announced on July 6th that it will stop accepting new requests for pets to travel in the cargo compartment of its flights until September 12th. Small pets are still allowed in the cabins of most flights if they can stay in a carrier under the seat in front of the passenger. The policy does not affect trained service animals. The airline stated that for customers who seek to travel with a pet unable to be in the cabin, several safe solutions are possible through Air Canada Cargo. In an email statement, Air Canada said the decision was based on “longer than usual airport delays” and “for the safety and comfort of pets,” and that current pet bookings will be honoured. It is not known whether there have been incidents of animals harmed by flight delays or other logistical difficulties prompting the policy change. Read more here and here.

This summer, the Calgary Stampede ran from July 8th to 17th, the first time the event has been held since the pandemic. The Stampede garnered considerable scrutiny in 2019 after six horses were killed during the chuckwagon races, raising questions about the welfare of animals used in rodeo events. Animal Justice filed a legal complaint and is calling for an animal cruelty investigation after video shows a Calgary Stampede rodeo worker striking a horse in the face at least three times. The video aired on Sportsnet on July 8th and was captured during a bronco riding event. Animal Justice describes the video as showing the mounted horse refusing to move into the arena and a worker smacking the horse in the face in an attempt to make them move into the arena. Animal Justice further reminds that individuals competing in the Stampede are not exempt from any applicable provincial and federal animal cruelty laws. Read the Animal Justice blog post and see the video clip here.

The Calgary Stampede ran from July 8th to 17th, and included rodeo events such as the chuckwagon races despite six horse fatalities during the event in the 2019 Stampede. This year, one horse had to be euthanized after falling and being injured during the controversial chuckwagon races. The incident occurred despite event organizers introducing new protocols for worker and animal safety. Animal Justice filed a legal complaint about the cruelty and reminded readers that in the past seventy years, no one has been prosecuted for animal cruelty at rodeos. The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has long condemned chuckwagon racing, calling it a dangerous event for both horses and people. VHS gathered with activists to protest the chuckwagon races. Read more here.

The City of Toronto continues to review proposed changes to the Animal Bylaw (see Issue 4 Spotlights, Legislative Updates; Issue 18 Legislative Updates). On July 6th, city councilors on the Economic and Community Development Committee voted in favour of amending the bylaw to, among other things, prohibit cat owners from allowing their cats to roam freely outdoors off their property. After hearing from a variety of delegations, Ward 17 Don Valley North Councilor Shelley Carroll put forward the motion, arguing that it is safer for cats to either be kept indoors or on a leash if going outdoors. Nathalie Karvonen, a wildlife biologist and executive director of Toronto Wildlife Centre, is one of many advocates supporting the proposal. Karoven told the committee that free-roaming cats are an immense concern for wildlife in Toronto, citing an Environment Canada study that found cats across Canada kill 200 million birds annually and that the primary reason for songbird death in Canada was free-roaming cats. While Carroll’s motion did not stipulate the new rules for cats if the bylaw were to be put into effect, Karvonen recommended that cats should be allowed outdoors if they are on a leash or in an enclosure. Animal Justice Lawyer Scott Tinney attended the meeting and supported the proposal, stating that cats live longer indoors, as they are less likely to be hurt by predators and vehicles. Approximately ninety municipalities across Canada and a number throughout the Greater Toronto Area, including Newmarket, Markham, and Hamilton, have enacted similar bylaws. Toronto Mayor John Tory is skeptical about the bylaw, expressing concern that it could be impossible to enforce. The bylaw change has not yet received final approval, requiring the support of a majority of council members to go into effect. Council is scheduled to debate the anti-roaming ban proposal at its meeting on July 19th 2022. See all Committee amendments here and read more about the proposed changes here. Read more here and here.

After nine months of review, the City of Toronto amended by-law Chapter 349, Animals (see above; Issue 4 Spotlights, Legislative Updates; Issue 18 Legislative Updates). During the City Council meeting on July 20th, nearly all Economic and Community Development Committee amendments were adopted. However, City Council Member, Shelley Carroll, introduced a motion abandoning her previous move to ban free-roaming owned cats, which carried. Instead, pet cats and pigeons will continue to be allowed to roam free in Toronto, with a provision that the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards will “continue to work on increasing the rate of licenses and/or micro-chipping of domestic cats and report back on potential changes to by-laws regarding domestic cat ownership when feasible.” In a news release, the Toronto City Council describes the amendments, including:

• Prohibiting the feeding of wildlife in Toronto, with some exceptions such as songbirds fed using bird feeders;
• Limiting the number of guinea pigs and rabbits to four per household;
• Limiting the number of domestic pigeons to thirty per property, with allowances for an increase to fifty during the breeding season (between April and October);
• Allowing dog owners twenty-four hours to remove dog waste from their property;
• Ensuring pets who are kept outdoors have adequate shelter to keep them safe during extreme weather conditions.

The Toronto City Council vote took place from 2:10 PM to 2:15 PM on July 20th, with twenty-one councilors voting "yes", two voting "no", and two absent votes. Watch the City Council vote here (animal by-law review vote beginning at 4:36:00). See the amended animal by-law here, and read about the review process here.

Tommy Ikalukjuak of Pangnirtung, Nunavut, was found guilty on six charges related to his conduct on May 19th 2020, including one count of willfully causing injury to a dog under the Criminal Code. Four Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers responded to an active shooter situation after neighbours saw Ikalukjuak recklessly shooting a rifle, hitting a truck, skidoo, and dog owned by his neighbour. The owner did not see the dog shot. Read the decision here.

In July 2020, Pacific Wild Alliance (PWA) filed for a judicial review of the British Columbia “Caribou Recovery Program.” Part of the program includes issuing permits for contractors to kill wolves which threaten the endangered wild caribou population. PWA argued that the regulation authorizing the issuing of permits is an improper delegation of authority, the permits are invalid because they lack sufficient specificity, and that the practice of shooting wolves from aircrafts is federal jurisdiction and the province cannot legislate for such a practice. In response, the BC Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development argued that the permits were legal and additionally challenged the standing of PWA to bring the action. In his judgment, Justice Christopher Giaschi found that PWA did have standing to bring the action, but dismissed PWA’s challenge, meaning that the wolf cull is legal and may continue under the current structure. On the standing question, the judge noted that “[a]n additional consideration is the fact that the mammals most directly affected, the wolves, have no ability to bring the action” (para. 64). In an interview, lawyer for PWA, Rebeka Breder, stated that “if there is any silver lining to this decision, it’s that the court agreed with Pacific Wild that we have the right to speak on behalf of wolves in the courtroom.” Although the method of culling wolves was deemed legal, there is no way to ensure that the wolves do not unnecessarily suffer in the process. Read the judgment here and read more here.

Following a three-week trial, two of the #Excelsior4 activists, Amy Soranno and Nick Schafer, were found guilty of break and enter and mischief, while the third remaining individual of the #Excelsior4 group, Roy Sasano, was acquitted on a single mischief charge. (See earlier stories: Issue 11, Litigation Updates; Issue 12, Litigation Updates; Issue 16, Spotlights, Litigation Updates; Issue 19, Spotlights, Litigation Updates). A distressing video of a large pig corpse and dead piglets released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ignited the 2019 protest at a Fraser Valley Pig Farm in British Columbia. PETA stated that the video was provided anonymously and was reportedly filmed at Excelsior hog farm. The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which currently investigates and enforces cases of animal cruelty, did not recommend charges against the Abbotsford farm operators, stating that they could not reach any legal conclusions that an offence occurred, even though what was depicted raised concerns. The jury deliberated for ten hours. After the verdict was issued, Sorrano and the lawyer who represented Nick Schafer, Bibhas Vaze, raised the issue of possible jury bias in favour of the prosecution and farm. Read the #Excelsior4 statement here and read more here. A written version of the judgment is not yet available. The sentencing date has been set for August 26th 2022. There are no mandatory minimum sentences for either offence, both of which carry the possibility of jail time. Soranno stated that she and Schafer are discussing the possibility of appeal with their lawyers.

Following their convictions in April 2022 (See Issue 13 Spotlights, Litigation Updates; Issue 16 Spotlights, Litigation Updates), eleven activists will return to court in Longueuil for sentencing on December 19th to 21st. The eleven activists were arrested after they entered Porgreg pig farm in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, near Montreal in December 2019. After trial, all eleven activists arrested were convicted of criminal break and enter and obstructing police. One of the activists, Jenny McQueen, stated that the activists are keen to make statements during the sentencing hearing describing their motives, what they witnessed, and how their experience continues to affect them. The owner of the farm and the worker present during the action will have the opportunity to make a victim impact statement. See McQueen’s explanatory post here.

Cow farmer Matt Peredery has been given additional time to follow a Compliance Order from the Ontario Chief Animal Welfare Inspector requiring her to seek a veterinary assessment. On May 12th 2022, Animal Welfare Services issued a Compliance Order to Peredery requiring a veterinary assessment for all eleven cows on her various properties, as well as documentation that she followed any resulting veterinary recommendations. Unable to retain a veterinarian in the required time, a hearing was set for July 13th 2022. However, before the hearing, a case conference resulted in an agreement to vary the Compliance Order to only apply to two of the eleven cows who must be assessed by July 18th. Read more here.

A twenty-nine year old man, Tyler Bezanson, of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, was charged with five provincial counts of permitting an animal to be in distress. The Nova Scotia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) states that his five dogs were found starving and neglected. After receiving a call on June 7th that multiple dogs were suffering from neglect, SPCA Enforcement Officers seized the dogs upon witnessing their living conditions and ailing physical appearance. The dogs were all taken for veterinary care, and the SPCA stated that they are now on a special feeding schedule, gaining weight and energy. They are not ready for adoption or visitors. The SPCA found after an investigation that there was sufficient evidence to support charges against Bezanson, who is scheduled to appear before Annapolis provincial court on September 19th. Read more here.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stated that officers pulled over a vehicle at a traffic stop on June 30th in Fort St. John in northern British Columbia, finding a baby deer in the back seat. The fawn was estimated to be about one month old. Officers arrested the car’s occupants for possession of wildlife, while also seizing drugs during the incident, although the amount or type of drugs found was not specified. The officers delivered the young male buck to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS), and the provincial agency transferred the animal to Rimrock Wildlife Rehab on July 1st, for care and eventual release. Rimrock’s co-owner, Corinna Harvey, stated the fawn, though not injured, was dehydrated and had digestive issues but will rehabilitate well. Pursuant to the provincial Wildlife Act, possession of live wildlife without a license or permit can result in fines of up to $100,000 and up to a year in prison for a first offence. RCMP stated that both the BCCOS investigation into wildlife possession and the drug investigation are ongoing. Read more here and here.

An individual from Newfoundland and Labrador was arrested for feeding wildlife in Gros Morne National Park. Feeding wild animals is prohibited under the Canada National Parks Act. The individual allegedly fed a fox and her kit, who were later struck and killed by vehicles. Parks Canada reminded readers that a healthy fear of humans is necessary to protect wild animals so they keep distance from vehicles and other dangerous situations, and feeding animals can ease that fear. Read more here.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is taking enforcement action against Manitoba Pork after Winnipeg resident Debbie Wall reported radio ads claiming that Manitoba pig products are “healthy and affordable protein.” Wall reported the ads as misleading, noting that pork products are not recommended by Canada’s Food Guide. No public statement has been made by either the CFIA or Manitoba Pork, but Wall was informed by the CFIA that the ads will be removed. Read more here and here.

Tyler Totten, “Reece’s Pieces: The Limits of Law and the Life Sentences of Lucy the Elephant (PhD Dissertation)” (2022) Carleton University Research Virtual Environment. Download here.

12 July 2022

Abstract: In this dissertation, I examine the public debate over the welfare of Lucy, the zoo elephant at the heart of the 2011 Alberta Court of Appeal case of Reece v Edmonton (City). Attending to three sites of study ("species," "location," and "law"), I engage in a critical discourse analysis to uncover the conceptual limits within which this debate occurred with respect to animals and the law. Being socio-legal in nature, this is a case study not of Reece, but of "Reece's pieces" insofar as this project analyzes the discourse spread across print news media, websites, blogs, online videos, and social media feeds spanning from 2005 to 2018. Moving beyond the familiar legal animal studies binaries of welfarism versus abolitionism, property versus personhood, and so on, I use ecofeminist and posthumanist perspectives to uncover conceptual pressure points. For instance, while Lucy's trunk is alien in relation to human features, yet apparently capable of "human" capacities like art-making, go-to concepts of "the animal" and "the human" are found to be fundamentally unstable throughout this discourse. Similarly, insofar as the feel-good concept of "home" is deployed with respect to past, present, and would-be locations for Lucy, the discourse actively attempts to resist engaging with the conditions of a zoo elephant in North America -- ones that may actually imply that "home" is a fundamental impossibility for such a being. Relatedly, rather than the repeated deployment of criminal-law terms being a layperson's mistake when speaking of the civil lawsuit of Reece, this go-to legal language instead points to what is spoken around by all sides in the debate: the underlying power structures that accompany the figure of the captive elephant, with pastoral logics of care and carceral logics of punishment competing and combining in ways formal law cannot sufficiently articulate. Ultimately, in locating these limits, I spotlight what traditional ways of thinking one may need to move beyond if justice to animals is ever to be done, also identifying how and where the "life sentences" of the elephant at the heart of this debate may someday end.

With a new parliamentary decree, France became the first country to ban the use of animal product names on labels to market vegan foods. The decree prohibits labeling vegan food products using (i) names of animal species, (ii) terms specific to butchers, and (iii) names typically associated with animal products (such as vegan chicken nuggets, ribs, sausages, steak, egg, etc.). Read Decree No 2022-947 here and read more here.

Footage from a former employee at the Black Jaguar, White Tiger sanctuary in Mexico reportedly revealed malnourished tigers and lions, with one lion missing its tail. The accusations resulted in public outcry and local protest against the “sanctuary,” which authorities have since shut down. Mexico City police raided the facility on July 5th after the images of injured, emaciated, and distressed lions disseminated through social media. Police Chief Omar Garcia Harfuch stated the property was seized “for the crime of improper use of property and mistreatment of animals.” 177 lions, jaguar, tigers, and other exotic big cats were found at the sanctuary, which authorities began taking away on July 6th. The federal Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection stated there are 202 animals in total, including dogs, monkeys, coyotes, and donkeys, who are being relocated to other locations. Legal representation for the sanctuary stated that the pandemic led it to fall into financial difficulty. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) described the facility as a “false sanctuary,” having long criticized the facility for engaging in abusive practices. The current saturation of Mexican animal shelters and rescue facilities is presumed to be due to drug cartel members illegally possessing big cats and Mexico’s 2015 ban on animal acts in circuses. Mexican authorities will commence an investigation at the facility and ascertain the necessary health care for the animals, while seeking new homes for them at zoos in the Mexican capital. The Association of Zoos, Breeders and Aquariums of Mexico stated its members will volunteer to handle the animals. Read more here and here.

After nine months of investigation found more than seventy animal welfare violations, the United States Department of Justice is allowing the Humane Society of the United States to rescue and rehome approximately 4,000 beagles from Envigo breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia. Parent company Inotiv, Inc. stated that they will close the breeding facility. Over sixty days, the beagles will be transferred to various Humane Societies and available for adoption if appropriate. Virginia Senators Mark R. Warner and Time Kaine applauded the rescue in this statement. Read more here.

A global coalition of 137 animal protection and conservation groups are calling on governments to ban trophy hunting imports. The Joint Position On Trophy Hunting, supported by the 137 organizations, highlights the unsustainable practice of trophy hunting which impacts endangered and protected species. The position also describes public opinion opposing the practice. Animal Justice, in support of a trophy hunting ban, noted that Canada is the world’s largest exporter of hunting trophies, responsible for fifty-four percent of global exports. Read Animal Justice’s blog here, and Humane Society International’s media post here.

With major airports across Canada facing flight cancellations, travel delays, and logistical challenges, including lost baggage, Air Canada announced on July 6th that it will stop accepting new requests for pets to travel in the cargo compartment of its flights until September 12th. Small pets are still allowed in the cabins of most flights if they can stay in a carrier under the seat in front of the passenger. The policy does not affect trained service animals. The airline stated that for customers who seek to travel with a pet unable to be in the cabin, several safe solutions are possible through Air Canada Cargo. In an email statement, Air Canada said the decision was based on “longer than usual airport delays” and “for the safety and comfort of pets,” and that current pet bookings will be honoured. It is not known whether there have been incidents of animals harmed by flight delays or other logistical difficulties prompting the policy change. Read more here and here.

British Columbia wildlife organization The Fur-Bearers is calling for the Auditor General to investigate the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS). In their letter requesting the audit, The Fur-Bearers take issue with the lack of information regarding BCCOS financial expenditures and transparency. They draw attention to data regarding the killing of wildlife versus conserving wildlife. The Fur-Bearers allege that the consistent number of bears killed per year since 2015 shows a “status quo where lethal force against wildlife is deployed at a much higher rate than preventative measures such as compliance and enforcement actions.” The letter ends by recommending a full audit of the BCCOS by the Auditor General. Read the letter here and read more here.

A young grizzly bear has been relocated to a remote area after reportedly bluff-charging a person in the Canmore area. Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials state that the incident was one of several concerning the same bear reported to them over the span of several days. After setting up multiple traps, officers captured the bear on June 23rd, who has since been relocated to an area several hundred kilometers away from Canmore that Fish and Wildlife describes as “a more suitable natural area.” Mark Hoskin, a district Fish and Wildlife officer, stated that relocating a grizzly bear is a last resort and is based upon provincial grizzly bear response guidelines. Grizzly bears are presently a threatened species in Alberta. Read more here and here.

A peacock on the loose for days in the area of the Jasper National Park townsite in western Alberta was euthanized on July 7th. Parks Canada said that staff and town residents first spotted the domestic peacock on July 2nd, stating that it consulted experts external to the agency. After six days of attempting to capture and remove the peacock from the area, the “difficult decision” was made to euthanize the animal. Parks Canada said it is not aware of how the peacock arrived in Jasper National Park or whether its release was accidental or deliberate, while also stating that the release of domestic animals or foreign species into a national park is illegal and poses potential inadvertent consequences for the park’s ecological integrity. In a release, Parks Canada explained that “[t]he introduction of non-native species or domestic animals poses serious consequences for the natural environments of national parks, and is prohibited under the National Parks of Canada Domestic Animals Regulations.” In this case, the agency states that the peacock was euthanized as there was too high risk of introducing avian disease and parasites to other wildlife in the park if the peacock were allowed to remain in the area. Read more here and here.

This summer, the Calgary Stampede ran from July 8th to 17th, the first time the event has been held since the pandemic. The Stampede garnered considerable scrutiny in 2019 after six horses were killed during the chuckwagon races, raising questions about the welfare of animals used in rodeo events. Animal Justice filed a legal complaint and is calling for an animal cruelty investigation after video shows a Calgary Stampede rodeo worker striking a horse in the face at least three times. The video aired on Sportsnet on July 8th and was captured during a bronco riding event. Animal Justice describes the video as showing the mounted horse refusing to move into the arena and a worker smacking the horse in the face in an attempt to make them move into the arena. Animal Justice further reminds that individuals competing in the Stampede are not exempt from any applicable provincial and federal animal cruelty laws. Read the Animal Justice blog post and see the video clip here.

The Calgary Stampede ran from July 8th to 17th, and included rodeo events such as the chuckwagon races despite six horse fatalities during the event in the 2019 Stampede. This year, one horse had to be euthanized after falling and being injured during the controversial chuckwagon races. The incident occurred despite event organizers introducing new protocols for worker and animal safety. Animal Justice filed a legal complaint about the cruelty and reminded readers that in the past seventy years, no one has been prosecuted for animal cruelty at rodeos. The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has long condemned chuckwagon racing, calling it a dangerous event for both horses and people. VHS gathered with activists to protest the chuckwagon races. Read more here.