Take action for animals in New Westminster

Take action for animals at the Queen’s Park Petting Farm

Tell the City of New Westminster you support their move toward animal-friendly public spaces

Will you support animal-friendly public spaces in New Westminster?

Earlier this year, VHS wrote to New Westminster City Council regarding the Queen’s Park Petting Farm. We shared a briefing note highlighting our evidence-based concerns related to animal welfare, public health and safety, and public education. The note included considerations such as:

Petting zoos are stressful for animals, who have little or no way to escape from unwanted petting, chasing, noise, and crowds.
Studies show that petting zoos can host diseases such as E. coli and Salmonella and can be a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Most children who visit petting zoos do not gain any new knowledge about animals or conservation. (See these animal-friendly alternatives for more educational family activities.)
The smell of animals in petting zoos can attract coyotes.

We recommended that municipal decision-makers close the petting farm and are pleased to see City Council moving in this direction. The City of New Westminster recently launched a public consultation seeking feedback and ideas from residents for an alternative long-term future for the space at Queen’s Park.

Take action:

1. Residents of New Westminster can participate in the online forum now!

We’re encouraging New Westminster residents to participate in the consultation and show their support for closing the petting farm and shifting the space to be focused instead on local, sustainable food production. This is a prime opportunity to improve public access to humane, healthy, and sustainable plant-based food. Share your excitement and ideas with municipal decision-makers!

Some ideas that have been suggested in the consultation are:

A community garden with plant-based food preparation lessons
A space for seasonal classes such as preparing balcony produce planters
A pollination garden

For more background information and VHS’s recommendations to City Council, read our briefing note on the Queen’s Park Petting Farm.

Participate in the consultation

2. Know someone in New Westminster?

Share this page with your animal-friendly friends and family using the buttons below.

3. Share the tweets below.

Thank you @New_Westminster for taking action to create animal-friendly alternatives to the Queen’s Park Petting Farm.
Vancouver Humane Society
Tweet

The move by @New_Westminster to reimagine the Queen’s Park Petting Farm space is great news for animal welfare, public health and safety, and family education.
Vancouver Humane Society
Tweet

Petting farms are stressful for animals and can be a health hazard for humans. I support the move by @New_Westminster toward a more animal-friendly and family-friendly public space in Queen’s Park.
Vancouver Humane Society
Tweet