[4animals] Zoos in Ontario are notoriously bad

[Edelweiss D'Andrea]

      Ontario stands out as the worst jurisdiction in Canada when it comes
to ensuring the proper care of captive wildlife.
            The province makes it far too easy for residents to collect wild
animals in small cages and advertise themselves as a zoo. With few
regulations in place, it is not surprising that there are more roadside zoos
in Ontario than any other jurisdiction in the country. More than 40 zoos are
known to exist and the majority of these are substandard.

            “In Ontario, you need a license to keep native animals such as
bears and wolves in a cage and there are few conditions attached,” said
Tkachyk.  “There are no rules for keeping exotic animals which represent 2/3
of all the zoo animals in Ontario. One doesn’t even need a license to keep a
hippo in their backyard.”

            There are no public health and safety standards stipulating how
dangerous animals should be contained in order to safeguard visitors, staff
and the community.  Shockingly, it is not hard to find tigers behind flimsy,
low fences that allow for an easy escape.
            “This is a serious concern as a number of people have been
injured and a few even killed in Ontario by captive wildlife,” said Tkachyk.
Since June 2005, six captive wildlife escapes were reported in the media in
Ontario.

            Roadside zoos typically house animals in poor, barren
conditions. Most lack trained professional animal care staff and the
financial resources necessary to ensure adequate care and housing. Roadside
zoos typically consist of a range of small, ramshackle cages that offer
little more than a water bowl, food bowl and a shelter box to sleep in.
Deprived of opportunities to behave naturally, animals in these zoos often
become bored and frustrated and exhibit signs of psychological disturbance,
including stereotypic behaviours. Many of the practices, some of them quite
cruel, which seem to be the norm in roadside zoos, would not be tolerated in
professionally-accredited zoos.

            The World Society for the Protection of Animals is asking the
Ontario government to implement regulations which would force all zoos to
operate at a professional standard or be closed.

            There's video footage of three zoos at:


http://www.ontariozoos.ca/news.html#threezoos

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