Your municipality can help close dangerous gaps in Ontario’s captive wildlife laws. Join us in calling on governments to fix this broken system.
Animals kept at roadside zoos are typically forced to live in small, ramshackle cages that offer little more than a water bowl, food bowl and a shelter box to sleep in. Due to small enclosures, many must eat and defecate in their own living space. There are many other animal welfare problems, including highly social animals living in solitary cages where they suffer from extreme loneliness.
The wild animals in roadside zoos often experience severe and pervasive psychological distress due to the grossly inadequate living conditions.
Ontario ranks dead last in Canada when it comes to ensuring proper regulation of captive wildlife.
We need to continue building pressure to get the provincial government to commit to roadside zoo regulations once and for all. For this reason, we are mobilizing Ontario’s municipalities to take a stand on captive wildlife issues in the province.
Urge your mayor and municipal councillors to adopt our resolution calling on the Ontario government to implement provincial regulations to restrict the possession, breeding, and use of wild animals along with the mandatory licensing of zoos.
- Download the resolution and briefing note below.
- Find your local municipal representative and their contact details. Visit your municipality website for easy access or use the following search terms [name municipality] and councillor email.
- Email your representative the resolution and share why it’s important to you.
Resolution
View the resolution: Provincial regulations needed to restrict keeping of non-native (“exotic”) wild animals
Note d'information
Consultez la note d'information : les zoos amateurs de l'Ontario (Français)
Ask your municipality to take a stand on roadside zoos.
Momentum is building. More than 50 municipalities across the province have adopted the resolution. Recognizing how important this is to individual municipalities, regional associations such as the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus (WOWC) and Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) have also adopted this resolution.
Together, these municipalities and municipal associations represent more than 150 municipalities and 2.7 million Ontarians’ support for a provincial zoo licensing system.
Has your municipality adopted the resolution?
- If yes, write to your MPP and urge them to raise this with the provincial government.
- If no, write to your local council and ask them to show their support by adopting the resolution.
Municipalities that support the resolution:
St. Catharines, Niagra Falls, Ajax, Whitby, Durham, Kirkland Lake, Larder Lake, Armstrong, Temiskaming Shores, Cobalt, Killarney, Welland, Bonnechere Valley, Laurentian Hills, Tweed, Addington Highlands, Plympton – Wyoming, East Ferris, Mattawan, South Huron, Wasaga Beach, Champlain, Southwold, Belleville, Carlow/Mayo Township, Smiths Falls, Trent Lakes, Uxbridge, Renfrew, Conmee, Enniskillen, Dutton Dunwich, Leamington, Hastings County, Lucan Biddulph, Chatham-Kent, Dawn-Euphemia, East Garafraxa, Red Rock, Neebing, North Frontenac, South Algonquin, Essa, Ramara, Casselman, Brock, Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, East Gwillimbury, Richmond Hill and Northern Bruce Peninsula.
What’s next?
When a municipality adopts our resolution, it will be forwarded to key members of government, such as Premier Doug Ford, and Solicitor General Michael Kerzner.
With each municipality that joins us, the pressure on the government mounts, which will make it difficult for the government to continue to ignore the plight of thousands of captive wild animals.
Thank you for speaking up for captive wildlife in Ontario!