Keeping wild animals for public display, entertainment or as pets, as deprives them of the ability to freely engage in instinctual behaviours in their natural environment.
Even when bred in captivity, exotic animals retain the behavioural and biological needs that they would have in the wild.
They cannot be considered domesticated and they can suffer if they are confined in unnatural environments.
How you can help
Zoos
VHS is fighting to improve the conditions of animals living in zoos. Working with Zoocheck Canada, we have exposed poor conditions and called the Greater Vancouver Zoo to account for the welfare of animals in their care.
Aquariums
VHS has worked tirelessly to end the captivity of cetaceans (whales and dolphins). In 2019, Canada banned their captivity but they and other marine mammals continue to be held in aquariums around the world.
Exotic Pets
VHS opposes the sale and keeping of exotic pets. We have successfully campaigned for municipal bylaws that ban or restrict exotic pet ownership and sale, and have drawn public attention to the cruel wildlife trade.
Latest news
Exotic animals: wildlife, not pets
Exotic, non-domesticated animals are being caught, bred, and sold across Canada as part of the inhumane and risky wildlife trade. These animals are then kept as pets, sold commercially, and used at events. Captive environments cannot replicate exotic wild animals’ natural habitats, leading to welfare concerns. The wildlife trade poses a risk to wild animal…
Podcast: Jenga the giraffe dies at the Greater Vancouver Zoo (The Early Edition)
https://youtu.be/CVOU_B0uj_I All episodes On October 23rd, Jenga the giraffe died in his enclosure at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. The Vancouver Humane Society’s Emily Pickett sat down with Stephen Quinn from The Early Edition on CBC Radio to share the heartbreaking story of Jenga, a giraffe who died at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. Interview shared with…
