This Lion didn't have to die

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Published on Tuesday, 01 March 2016 10:45
Written by editor
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Cette pétition prend de l'ampleur sur Change.org, souhaitez-vous la signer? Elle demande que les zoos soient mieux réglementés afin d'éviter des situations comme celle au cours de laquelle un lion s'est évadé de son enclos et a dû être abattu la semaine dernière en Ontario.


Petitioning Yasir Naqvi, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services

WE NEED TO SHUT DOWN ROAD-SIDE ZOOS IN ONTARIO OR DO A BETTER JOB OF REGULATING THEM

Petition by BA Campbell Lombardy, Canada 304 Supporters Sign the petition

A white african lion was recently shot and killed at the Papanack Zoo in Wendover, Ontario, on February 28, 2016, when it escaped its enclosure. The zoo released a statement to the public that the cause of the lion's escape, was due to human error. The decision was taken by zoo officials to shoot the lion, as the risk to staff was deemed too high to attempt to tranquilize and preserve its life. An unfortunate end to a life that could have been spared if zoo staff were better prepared and equipped to deal with a situation like this.

This unfortunate incident is not the first time a wild or exotic animal has escaped from a road-side zoo in Ontario. Zoocheck reports that a tiger had escaped from its enclosure in 2005 from the Papanack Zoo, but in that instance the animal was successfully tranquilized and returned to its enclosure. This raises the question as to why this same zoo was unable or unprepared to immobilize this lion, thus saving its life.

Safety reports released by both Zoocheck and World Society for the Protection of Animals, state that more than 50 wild animals have escaped from zoos or private collections in Ontario since 1985, and in some cases, people or animals have been attacked.

In 2012 a cougar was spotted in the Muskoka area. Police eventually caught up with it, and it was shot and killed after it had killed a family pet. An examination later revealed that the cougar was declawed and well-fed, indicating that it was once a captive animal.

Under the current laws in Ontario, zoos and private individuals do not require a licence to own and operate a zoo and/or exhibit exotic animals such as lions, tigers or elephants. This means that anyone can open a zoo to the public with no requirement for training, experience or expertise with exotic animals.

In Ontario, there are minimal requirements for animals in captivity, but no requirements exist to address the specific and special care or housing needs of exotic species such as lions, tigers, water buffalo and elephants for eample. The lack of requirements and standards in the current laws for exotic animals, not only puts these wild animals in zoos at risk, but also the public in the event of an incident involving an escaped animal.

All other provinces in Canada require a permit to own exotic species like lions and tigers and elephants, or there is an outright ban on these species as pets. Ontario is the ONLY province which does not have such a requirement. Previous attempts such as Bill 125, to bring in legislation for exotic animals, has failed. The current responsibility for exotic animals falls under local exotic-animal bylaws within individual cities, towns and municipalities in this province. The problem with local by-laws is that there is no consistent standard amongst cities as to how to define "exotic animal", what the minimum requirements of care or housing should be, or details of any specific training or qualifications that zoo staff should have, to work with exotic animals.

It should be noted that while the Ontario government has given some regulatory powers to the OSPCA, these are not sufficient to deal with the complex problems associated with keeping captive wildlife. A licensing system similar to the one in Alberta would be best if this province is serious about trying to properly regulate captive wildlife facilities.

Link to the current policy on exotic animals in BC: http://www.spca.bc.ca/animal-issues/wildlife/exotic/exotics-ownership-restrictions.html

If we continue to allow zoos to own exotic animals, then we must do a better job by introducing regulations that protect these animals in requiring specific standards for their care and protection and through monitoring of their operations. We need to ensure that ALL animals in captivity are being kept in adequate facilities specific to their needs, and to ensure that zoo operators, staff and exhibitors have adequate knowledge of and experience in working with these types of animals. We also need to ensure that all zoos have a plan in place to prevent animals from having to be destroyed, due to lack of experience, proper resources and emergency plans with which to bring situations such as that involving escaped animals, to a constructive conclusion. If zoos cannot meet these expectations, then we need to think about banning exotic animals altogether, in this province.

THE PETITION:

We, the undersigned, call on Yasir Naqvi, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services and Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to pass legislation making it MANDATORY :

1. For ALL zoos that own and exhibit exotic animals or any animals in captivity, to be licenced in the province of Ontario.
2. For ALL zoos to submit to yearly inspections as a prerequisite for renewing their licences, to ensure that facilities that house exotic animals and animals in captivity, are adequate for the specific needs of the animal, and that the facilities are safe for both the animal, staff and the public.
3. For ALL zoos to provide proof that operators and staff are adequately trained to work with exotic animals.
4. For ALL zoos to have emergency protocols to deal with animal escapes, that include access to drugs to immobilize potentially dangerous, escaped animals. All staff should be properly trained and familiar with emergency plans and equipment. An emergency procedures manual should be kept up-to-date and all staff should be required to review this material periodically. Regular drills should be conducted to ensure all staff are prepared in case of an emergency.

RELEVANT CASE HISTORY

- Viveka Nanda Guha, owner of Guha’s Tigers and Lions Farm in the Muskokas, was charged under the Ontario SPCA Act after a cougar escaped from his private menagerie in July 2012. The cougar was shot and killed by police after it mauled a neighbouring family’s dog, which was later euthanized. At the time Guha told reporters that the cougar wasn’t his. Guha said all of his wild cats, which included six lions, two cougars and a jaguar, were all accounted for and secure in their cages. Guha later pleaded guilty and was fined and banned from owning domestic or exotic animals.

- In 2008, a black jaguar escaped its chain-link enclosure at Guha’s farm. Police were dispatched because Guha apparently didn’t have a firearm or tranquillizer gun. He also didn’t have a fence around his farm.

- In the summer of 2007, a tapir named Stanley went on the lam for more than two weeks from Zooz Nature Park near Fort Erie. The long-nosed herbivore native to Brazil was recaptured after zookeepers and police received a tip. Zooz manager Tim Tykolis said Stanley apparently tripped a wire that would normally deliver a mild electric shock. Tykolis said Stanley wasn’t dangerous unless cornered, but Zoocheck Canada countered that a Malayan tapir seriously injured a zoo keeper at the Oklahoma City Zoo in 1998.

- Again in the late summer of 2007, a 300-pound Syrian brown bear named Willy led emergency officials on a 14-hour chase through wooded areas around Zooz after he burrowed out of his enclosure. After an investigation, Niagara police said the zoo did not break any provincial law or municipal bylaw and there was no evidence of negligence. The search for Willy cost $20,000, mostly for police overtime.

- In May 2007, a 32 year old British Columbian woman bled to death after being mauled by a tiger while she was standing next to the animal’s cage. The cat was owned by the woman’s boyfriend, who used the cat for public photo sessions on the property, as well as photo displays in shopping malls and at children’s parties.

- 16 year old employee of the Dornoch Zoo in Grey County, Ontario was mauled by a female lion while conducting a tour of the zoo facility. The lion swiped at the girl through the bars of the enclosure cutting the girl’s forehead and arm.

- In September 2005, Neekeeshia, a 500-pound Siberian tiger, slipped under a fence at the Papanack Zoo in Wendover and made her way onto the road. A driver spotted her and kept an eye on the tiger as she moved into a backyard across the street from the zoo, then called police. Keith and Diane Forgie, who lived in the home and owned the zoo at the time, tranquilized the tiger. Mr. Forgie said Neekeeshia was back in her pen within a half-hour.

- Two Siberian tigers broke out of the Lickety Split Zoo near London, Ont. in 1997 when they jumped against their cage, knocking it down. They were captured within four hours.

- Four tigers escaped from their enclosure at the Elmvale Jungle Zoo in 1996, reportedly after vandals broke the lock. A 700-pound tiger was shot after it attacked a camel, and the other three were soon returned to the enclosure. “We were lucky the cat went after the camel instead of someone outside,” said zoo owner Sam Persi.

OTHER INFORMATION IN SUPPORT OF THIS PETITION

Link to images provided by Zoocheck of current lion enclosures at different zoos in Ontario:
http://www.zoocheck.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Safetyreport2010_images.pdf

Ontario Zoo Review Series - #4 - Papanack Zoo - August 2008 - Zoocheck:r0 from these emails.

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