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 populations both at home and abroad due to poaching of animals for the pet trade and release of exotic animals into the local ecosystems.
Can you take action to speak up for wild exotic animals caught, bred, and sold in the wildlife trade?
It’s estimated that 1.4 million exotic animals (non-domesticated, non-native animals) are kept as pets across Canada. This includes species like ball pythons, bearded dragons, red ear slider turtles, savannah cats, and crested geckos. Across the Canadian provinces and territories, British Columbia comes in fourth for exotic pet ownership.
Exotic animals may be:
kept as pets in people’s homes;
bred and sold commercially; or
used for public display or entertainment at events.
Welfare concerns
Regardless of whether these animals are wild-caught or captive-bred, they retain their complex social, physiological, and behavioural needs that they would have in the wild.
This makes it impossible to fully meet their unique needs when kept captive as pets, which can lead to significant animal welfare issues and suffering.
Public health risks
The exotic pet trade also poses public health and safety risks.
Stressed animals are more susceptible to disease and to spreading disease to humans. In fact, 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic (transmitted from non-human animals to humans).
Impact on wild animal populations
The exotic pet trade is also a major threat to wild populations, as a result of the poaching of wild animals to be sold into the pet trade.
The accidental or intentional release of exotic animals into the wild can also have a negative impact on native species and local ecosystems.
Exotic pet events
Exotic pet events, where animals are on display for public entertainment or are being sold, highlight many of the animal welfare, public health, and safety issues associated with the exotic pet trade. These wild animals are:
kept in cramped and unnatural containers;
transported to and from events; and
handled by adults and children in a noisy environment.
Will you help stop the suffering by signing up to receive action alerts? You will be contacted with key actions to help protect exotic animals.
Metro Vancouver is updating the Regional Food System Strategy for the first time since 2011 and is seeking public input.
This is an important opportunity for Metro Vancouver residents and food system stakeholders to advocate for a shift toward more humane, healthy and sustainable plant-based food production and consumption across the region.
TAKE ACTION: If you’re a Metro Vancouver resident, your input is needed to help advocate for an updated strategy that prioritizes less animal-based products and more plant-based foods. Share your feedback in the online survey before the deadline of December 31, 2024.
Below are the main questions included in the Metro Vancouver survey. Click on each key point for tips and context to help answer the questions in your own words.
1. What changes have you seen in the regional food system over the last 10 – 15 years?
(Examples: changes to imports/exports, climate considerations, community changes, consumer habits, costs, etc.)
Growing public awareness and concern about the impact of animal-based foods…
…on the environment, health, and animal welfare, resulting in more people reducing their consumption of animal products.
A 2022 survey of Lower Mainland Residents found that 65% of respondents have reduced their consumption of animal products.
A 2019 survey found that 25% of B.C. residents have tried a vegetarian diet, compared to the national average of 18%.
A 2018 survey found that almost 40% of British Columbians aged 35 and under follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, more than three times higher than the national average.
Increased demand for plant-based foods/beverages…
…and more products being offered in stores, restaurants, etc.
A 2022 survey found that 65% of respondents in the Lower Mainland would eat more plant-based meals if there were more tasty options available when going out to eat.
Scientific research and experts urging all levels of government to support food system change…
…toward plant-based eating patterns.
Growing awareness that the type of food plays a much larger role in a food’s overall carbon footprint than the distance it travels. Previously, much of the focus has been on prioritizing local food, but it’s also increasingly important that plant-based food be incorporated into food system strategies.
Food system change, including shifting toward plant-based diets, is necessary to meet global climate targets and stay below 2 degrees of global warming.
In the City of Vancouver, nearly 98% of the ecological footprint of food comes from the land and energy used for growing and producing it, particularly red meat and dairy products.
Government acknowledgement and action around the need for food system change…
…toward more plant-based foods.
The City of Vancouver passed a motion declaring the various social, economic, and environmental benefits of plant-based procurement.
The District of North Vancouver passed a motion to ensure plant-based options are included and prioritized at municipal events, meetings, and other gatherings where the District purchases food.
Public support for government action…
…including meat reduction efforts incorporated into government strategies.
In a 2022 survey of Lower Mainland residents, 58% of respondents would support shifting government subsidies from animal-based food production to plant-based food production.
60% of survey respondents would support including animal production-reduction efforts into local, provincial and federal climate, health and animal welfare strategies.
Are there any other food system-related changes or trends you’ve noticed in the Lower Mainland over the last decade?
2. What do you think the role of Metro Vancouver should be in the implementation of a regional food system strategy?
(Examples: protecting agricultural lands, convening member jurisdiction on specific issues, providing local research and data, public education, etc.)
As a regional organization, Metro Vancouver and member jurisdictions can prioritize humane, healthy and sustainable plant-based foods across the supply chain.
This could include:
Prioritizing and incentivizing plant-based food production and processing.
Supporting partnerships that enable businesses, public institutions and others to collaborate on plant-based procurement throughout the region through bulk ordering and supplier connections.
Public marketing, education, and promotion around increasing plant-based food consumption, in alignment with the updated Canada Food Guide, which recommends choosing plant-based proteins more often.
Supporting more plant-based options in food service, including through public institutions like schools, hospitals and community centers, as well as in catering, corporate programs, and cafeterias.
Supporting consumption of more plant-based foods across consumer, corporate, business and institutional levels.
Are there other food system-related roles you think Metro Vancouver should be involved in?
3. Is there any other feedback or other information you would like to share?
Metro Vancouver is uniquely positioned to support a much-needed food system shift towards plant-based food across multiple sectors.
This could include strategies and practices such as:
Promoting and supporting strategies that prioritize plant-based food choices. For example, setting plant-based meals as the default option at events, meetings and municipal facilities.
Incentivizing plant-based food production, processing, purchasing and procurement. For example, through municipal food service contracts.
Encouraging member jurisdictions to set a target for reducing the volume of animal products purchased at municipal levels and follow the lead of other jurisdictions that have implemented meat reduction and/or plant-forward strategies.
Are there other food-system related ideas or examples you would like to share?
In a letterto the Canadian Senate, 30+ Canadian celebrities, 20+ veterinary and animal welfare experts, and more than a dozen animal advocacy organizations have called for an end to the cruel export of live horses abroad for slaughter.
Bill C-355, which would ban the cruel practice, got through the House of Commons but has been stalled in the Senate since May.
Recent investigations and Japanese government data show the suffering far exceeds what the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) claims.
While the Senate delays action, horses continue to suffer and die as shipments continue.
TAKE ACTION: Use the quick action tool below to send a message to Canadian Senators in your province, urging them to move forward with bill C-355 without further delay.
Join Canadian celebrities, experts and advocates in urging the Senate to stop the deadly delay.
Take the quick action to email Canadian Senators
Use the email template below to send a message to Canadian Senators in your province, calling on them to move forward with bill C-355 without further delay.
Tip: For added impact, edit the template message below to personalize your email.
Note: Click here for individual contact info of Canadian Senators.
Canadian icon and multi-platinum artist Jann Arden, along with a host of celebrity signatories including Bryan Adams, Chantal Kreviazuk, Elisha Cuthbert and Queen’s Brian May have penned a letter imploring Canada’s Senate to move forward with Bill C-355, the Prohibition of the Export of Horses by Air for Slaughter Act. The letter (which can be found here) also has strong support from the Canadian acting community, including stars in shows like Star Trek: Discovery, The Handmaid’s Tale, Workin’ Moms, and Heartland.
More than 20 veterinary and animal welfare experts, and more than a dozen animal advocacy organizations have also signed the letter urging senators to study and pass this lifesaving bill, which was passed by the House of Commons in May.
“Since 2006, tens of thousands of terrified horses have been crammed into shoddy wooden crates and flown 8,000 km to their demise, enduring turbulence, thirst and hunger, and abject fear,” said Jann Arden. “To say this practice is inhumane would be an understatement. Canadians want this to end.”
Bill C-355 was introduced last September by federal MP Tim Louis to end the abhorrent practice of shipping horses from Canada overseas to Japan for slaughter. The Bill is being delayed by a handful of Senators and has seen little progress in the Senate since May. The clock is ticking – if the bill is to become law it must pass before the next federal election.
Tens of thousands of Canadians have called and written to Senators, urging them to study and pass the bill. Yet as the legislation remains in limbo, these shipments continue to be sent overseas for slaughter, with horses enduring gruelling journeys. Most shipments appear to go over the legal limit of 28 hours without food, water, and rest.
Shipments continue despite the revelations uncovered through recent investigations by Animal Justice and Japan-based Life Investigation Agency. Based on Government of Japan records, between June 2023 and May 2024 alone, at least 21 horses exported for slaughter died during transport or in the hours and days shortly thereafter.
More than 50 others were injured or became seriously ill during this time. None of these injuries, illnesses, or deaths were reported to Canadian officials.
Bill C-355 reflects a promise made to Canadians during the last federal election, and enjoys broad public support across the political spectrum. With a pending election expected in 2025, Ms. Arden and the letter’s numerous other signatories are gravely concerned about the Senate’s delay in studying and ultimately passing this crucial legislation.
Farm sanctuaries offer a safe forever home where animals are free to enjoy their lives.
Farm sanctuaries are vital havens for rescued animals, providing them with safety, care, and a chance to live free from harm. They also serve as powerful spaces for education and advocacy, inspiring compassion and helping people connect with the stories of individual animals.
In this month’s episode of The Informed Animal Ally, Janeanne from The Alice Sanctuary, Diane from the Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary, and Yvonne and Lianna from Kitchensink Rescue Farm & Sanctuary share the ups and downs of running a farm sanctuary.
Janeanne: Hi, my name is Janeanne and I am the founder and guardian of the Alice Sanctuary. We’ve been an active farm animal sanctuary here in Alberta for just under 11 years now.
Successes
Throughout the period of time that we’ve been here, there have been multiple successes and highlights. But the one that I really would like to acknowledge here would be the idea that two thirds of our rescues or surrenders have come directly from farming families reaching out to find resources or alternatives for one or more of their animals living on their farms.
Now, this can be for a number of reasons. It could be aging of the individuals who are caring or tending the animals. It could be medical needs of the animals themselves and they cannot afford them, but they still want to see these individuals come to a safe landing or a loving place. For that, I would perceive sanctuary becoming more legitimized in a province that’s really engrossed in animal agriculture.
I like the idea that when we have companion animal rescues, many people know that they can have friends or relationships or conversations if something happens to one of their companion animals, they know that they can take them to another place and hopefully find a new home for those companion animals.
What we don’t have are resources for farm animals. And I would love to see sanctuary become a place where it is non-judgemental and a safe environment for families who are in farming to find a soft landing for one or more of the individuals that they have connected with. And so that’s really important for me to discuss and to recognize.
Challenges
Challenges in sanctuary are abundant. If they’re not day to day, then they’re, you know, accumulating to month to month to year to year. Seasonal challenges are always things that we need to face too, especially now that we’re seeing climate change really impact our environment and our weather systems, which then impact our ability to find feed and source out hay and source out bedding like straw.
All of these things are interconnected with one another because it’s not like going to a grocery store and knowing that a tomato is going to be on the shelf, right?
So when we are feeding round bales and for the Alice Sanctuary, we do need to order at least 300 round bales a year now because we are feeding hay year round due to poor pasture and grazing environments because of the shorter grass that we’re experiencing because there’s not a lot of rain. So, it’s incredibly harder to source out hay that isn’t also exponentially priced.
For instance, last year, we did get all of our hay from Montana because they had a better season than what our province had here. And when you did try to find hay here, it wasn’t existent because there just wasn’t a good hay crop, hay field this year.
So, these are all challenges that we have to navigate and thankfully we have a few people on our team that help us out with finding the hay. We have a great hay broker that we’ve been working with for years. Things like this are really beneficial.
Other challenges that I think all of us are facing would be the fundraising aspect of rescue and sanctuary.
Economy is becoming more and more unpredictable. Household incomes are becoming lower and tougher to manage on a week to week basis. So extra dollars usually are kept so there’s a form of safety and security in the home. Whereas before, if you had an extra $5 or $10, donating it to your favourite charity or not for profit wouldn’t be as scary, right? So now incomes and economy has become a little bit more insecure.
So fundraising has become tougher. It’s been something that we’ve had to adjust to. Thankfully as a charity, we also have access to grants when you can find them. And hopefully people who operate foundations can also help you out in that and encourage you in that area too.
Opportunities
I think as years go on, I have accumulated many, many conversations and I really like to talk to people about personal responsibility and accountability for the choices that we make on a day to day basis and how this really impacts not just the world for animals and sentient beings, but also impacts our communities and the health of our communities and it impacts our neighbours and it impacts, you know, newcomers and temporary foreign workers and it impacts our environment and it impacts our planet on a large scale.
It even impacts our economy because again, billions of dollars are being spent to prop up multiple failing industries that are also very misleading, misguiding and damaging most of the structures that we are in and that in turn affects our pocketbooks because that would be our tax dollars.
So these are the kind of conversations that I am really looking forward to having with people going forward into the world of sanctuary as well as immersing myself in the love and the joy that we have with our residents here and the people who want to come in and volunteer with us and enjoy the time that they have with us when we do tours.
Those are things that are really quite motivational because you know that there’s an impact to it all. And it’s bringing happiness to people. It’s bringing love and healing to animals that have been immersed in trauma. And also being able to open up to aspects and perspectives that are around you that typically in the past, many people would be not willing to have.
And it’s been really kind of a good move for us to move into our future idea about sanctuary
Diane: This is Diane from the Happy Herd. For those of you who don’t know us, we’ve been in operation for about 12 years.
Successes
Lots has happened. There’s so many ups and downs in this field. And we’re going through one of our up days.
We have a little Icelandic sheep named Noodles, who came to us last spring at two weeks of age. His mother had abandoned him because he has a neurological issue. The vet looked at him, said there was nothing they could do, and gave us probably one to two months of life. He’s going on 19 months.
And he still falls down. His back left leg doesn’t work all the time. He makes a lot of circles. But he’s the happiest little boy you’ve ever met, and he loves children. When children come, he comes running as fast as he can. Sometimes he doesn’t stop, but he’s just happy to be around.
Challenges
So those are your highs when you have an animal like him come into your life, and the hard times are when you have them leave, like this spring we lost both Lucy, one of our first pigs, she was about 800 pounds, and Baby the donkey, who had been with us for 26 years. So losing two animals like that and close together just rips you apart and it takes a long, long time to heal. And I don’t know if you ever do heal. But you look at Noodles and you still smile.
Opportunities
So, what are we looking forward to in the next year? We’ve got a big project that we want to undertake. We want to pave most of the driveway and some paths and make the farm more accessible. We get busloads of seniors drive through and they all have mobility issues so they stay on the bus.
And then we have kids who are in Canuck Place come out and get to hug an animal. We have health care workers who bring their clients with them to meet farm animals. And we’re transitioning more to that because it means so much to everybody and seeing a kid smile.
So that’s where we’re going and that’s where we’re so happy to have you joining us and being part of our Happy Herd family.
So looking forward to doing the Giving Tuesday with you again and just looking forward to being around. Thanks very much.
Diane:Yvonne: Hi, my name is Yvonne Lewis, and I’m a board member from the Kitchen Sink Rescue Farm and Sanctuary in Roberts Creek.
Lianna: And my name is Lianna Corsini, and we want to acknowledge that we are currently recording from the unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh and shíshálh Nations.
Yvonne: We’re here to talk a little bit today about some of the challenges and highlights of running a vegan sanctuary in the Lower Mainland area.
Successes
Yvonne: One thing that we would say is that this year, and it’s almost complete, we’re really excited. It’s a big dream come true, is that we have been able to successfully build a barn. Thanks to some grants that we wrote, and we’re funded by Vancouver Foundation, and also the Sunshine Coast Credit Union, and also some of our successful fundraising events that we’ve had over the last couple years.
We’ve had some significant challenges, through the heat dome and needing to allocate some resources to some different things with COVID and cost of living, prices of lumber, all those kinds of things. So it’s been quite the challenge to get this barn complete and we are so close. Animals are living in it and some of the rest of them will be moving into it very shortly and it is an absolute dynamite dream come true.
Lianna: It’s pretty exciting and it couldn’t be more timely today as we’re speaking to you. We’re experiencing very high winds that have caused a lot of debris and damage on the farm today. So, the earlier part of the day has been spent cleaning up and making sure that all the animals have a safe place to be and stay.
And as well, we’re experiencing record high rains. So, having a barn really is a dream come true. And it’s just such a wonderful space for the animals to be able to shortly move into before the actual weather arrives this winter.
Challenges
Lianna: One of the things that is a bit of a challenge in sanctuary work is having consistent volunteers.
We so appreciate everyone that has come out and continues to come out. We have a lot of inquiries and unfortunately a lot of those inquiries don’t always amount to regular and consistent volunteering. I think it’s really important to remember that there are a lot of different jobs that people can do on the farm.
Yvonne: And it’s really about not overtaxing yourself. So if you think you can do one afternoon every two weeks, we would be grateful to have you and any help is great help. And I think people get really keen and maybe sort of burn themselves out or whatever. So just any farm that you go to and any sanctuary that you help out with, just, you know make sure you’re not putting yourself under too much pressure, but also being able to enjoy the work and have a bond with the charity that you’re giving your time to because it’s so important.
One of the other things that we would say is definitely a challenge sort of as a charity and definitely as a farm charity is just ongoing sort of stable financial support, monthly donorships and things. I mean, we understand that that stuff changes for people and it’s not always possible. But even just thinking to yourself, like, you know, five dollars here and there or five dollars a month would just be fantastic or once a year let us be your Christmas thing and I mean to know that some people are thinking of it and kind of constantly being able to do it is just, it’s a huge help to us, it’s a huge stress reliever and it helps us know what we can afford and how many animals we can take in and feed and continue to help with sort of our ongoing funding needs.
Lianna: I think people don’t realize that even, like, one Starbucks really, over a long period of time, can amount to quite a bit of funding for the animals.
Yvonne: Absolutely, yeah, that would mean, average bag of feed is about, you know, between 20 to 25. So, if five people gave up one Starbucks drink a month, that would buy one of my bags of food for the animals and that would totally help.
Lianna: Would you say it’s about $3,000 to feed the animals over a month?
Yvonne: About that. Approximately about $3,000.
Lianna: One of the campaigns that we’re running right now is fill the barn with hay for winter. So, if you are thinking of how you might support, as Yvonne mentioned, some Christmas gifts or holiday gifts.
You can do that and you can find that info on our website.
Yvonne: And of course we’re a registered charity so there is a tax receipt applicable to any donations that come our way.
Opportunities
Yvonne: One of the big main events that we’ve been able to put on is our gala that we do every year in July. It’s the second week of July.
This year it will be July 12th, which is Saturday afternoon. It has been growing and it is wonderful for community partnerships, for community awareness, for animal awareness. for highlighting, you know, what these animals go through and how you can help and what ends up happening when somebody does rescue them.
What does the rest of their life look like? So it’s, it’s a great sort of education piece as well as being able to have people come to the farm, spend the afternoon, hear the stories meet some of the animals and see what their day to day life is.
It’s also a really fun event. We’ve had Persephone’s Brewing and also Gourmet Girl supporting us for the last two years. They continue to do so, but that’s something that it gives a community members and also community businesses an opportunity to join in and everybody speak up for the animals together. So it’s a wonderful event.
We encourage anybody who wants to come, the tickets will be on our website, you know, probably mid May.
Lianna: It’s a really fun afternoon and the gala itself is also a dream come true. It was put on hold by the pandemic. So when we were finally able to host it felt really great to welcome everybody onto the farm again and to be able to socialize.
And it’s just really fun to dress up and put on your gumboots for an afternoon. And meet with the animals and meet other people who are just simply like minded.
Yvonne: That’s about all. We don’t want to take up too much of your time, but we wanted to say thank you very much for having us.
Thanks for listening. If there’s any inquiries for us, please reach out.
Next episode
Please join us next month as we discuss the importance of polling data, and how it can be used in animal advocacy!
Vancouver Humane Society is partnering with The Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary this Giving Tuesday to make life better for animals!
Between now and December 3, you can donate directly to our joint campaign. We are also looking for businesses and individuals to support this campaign through matched giving donations. Check out our sponsorship package for more details.
Every supporter that donates towards the Giving Tuesday campaign will be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a $25 gift card to Vegan Supply.
Happy Herd cares for 60 animals including pigs, cows, goats, chickens, sheep, cats, and one dog! Each cherished animal has their own name and personality, and spends their days enjoying life with their fellow herd family members. Happy Herd is currently spending approximately $10,000 a month on food, shelter, and veterinary expenses for the animals.
Your generous support of this campaign will have a lasting impact on the lives of the animals who call The Happy Herd home.
Since 1984, the Vancouver Humane Society has been supporting individuals, organizations, and governments to take action for the welfare and rights of animals influenced by human activities. Whether advocating against rodeo cruelty, providing emergency vet funds for companion animals in low income homes, offering resources to help people and businesses choose plant-based options, or lobbying for policies that minimize harm to animals, VHS is dedicated to ending animal suffering in all forms. All donations to VHS will go directly toward vital programs and advocacy work in order to create a kinder world for all animals.
Thank you so much for your support of both of our organizations!
Panago – On Tuesday, December 3rd, Panago locations across BC will offer $10 large plant-based pizzas when you use the coupon code PLANT10. $1 from every plant-based pizza sold will be donated to the VHS Giving Tuesday Campaign. Panago has also committed to match donations made to the Giving Tuesday Campaign up to $2,000!
Plant Veda and Nora’s have committed to match donations made to the Giving Tuesday Campaign up to $1,000!
Vecado Plant-Based Pet Food has committed to match donations made to the Giving Tuesday Campaign up to $500! Nutritionally complete, protein-packed meals for cats and dogs. Delivered fast across Vancouver and Canada. First-time customers: Use code VHS10 for 10% off your first order! 🌱
Rambling Hound Media will be donating 10% of sales from purchases of the FILM YOUR DOG – Smartphone Method course from Nov. 29th – Dec 3rd.
Sprouted Oven – will be donating 3% of their sales on Giving Tuesday.
bettermoo(d) – has committed to match donations made to the Giving Tuesday Campaign up to $300!
Vegan Supply – will give customers the option to add a donation to the VHS and Happy Herd from December 1-3. All customers that donate $5 or more at Vegan Supply will be entered into a prize draw to win a $50 Vegan Supply gift card. Vegan Supply is also donating a gift card for a Giving Tuesday prize draw for all those that donate via the VHS.
Vegan Yarn – will be donating 25% of their sales on Giving Tuesday.
Down 2 Earth Plant Parlour – will be donating $1 from any drink purchased from their seasonal drink menu on Sunday, December 1st.
Veg Out– will give customers the option to add a donation to the VHS and Happy Herd the weekends of November 23 – 24 and November 30th – December 1st.
The Vancouver Humane Society hosts pet first aid training for service providers in the Downtown Eastside
Community services play a crucial role in addressing the immediate and ongoing needs of placed-at-risk people. Many service providers are trained in first aid and emergency response, which ensures they can quickly provide emergency care, help prevent further injury or death, and help people reach more in-depth health care when necessary.
But what happens when pets in these communities need first aid?
Say hello to the Vancouver Humane Society’s first aid training for service workers, which aimed to address the urgent needs of pets in the Downtown Eastside and other communities where people face barriers to accessing care.
This training gathered service providers from Luma Native Housing Society, Raincity Housing Society, and the Portland Hotel Society, which provide community services to people facing poverty and complex barriers.
Helping pets in placed-at-risk communities
More than three quarters of Canadians share their lives with a companion animal, including people of all economic backgrounds and life circumstances. Some people have fallen on hard times and given up personal comforts in an effort to keep their pets safe and healthy; many others have taken in animals from family, friends, or neighbours who could no longer care for them.
Although the bonds between companion animals and their guardians are vital, resources to keep pets in their loving homes are fairly limited. That’s because – unlike human services such as medical care –veterinary care and many other vital services for companion animals do not receive government funding.
The VHS’s McVitie Fund is one of the only services in B.C. providing life-saving funding for veterinary care to help loved pets return home safe.
When it comes to minor injuries and early monitoring like small cuts, scrapes, or bumps, there are now service providers working on the ground in the Downtown Eastside who can help pets.
The training for service providers last month, provided by the VHS through Walks ‘N’ Wags, will help pets get the care they need right away in the communities that need it most.
Emily Pickett from the Vancouver Humane Society discusses the tragic life and death of Jenga the giraffe, who died at the Greater Vancouver Zoo on October 23rd, as well as ongoing welfare concerns at the zoo. Originally aired on The Early Edition from CBC News; shared on The Informed Animal Ally podcast.
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 permission.
Stephen: Another animal has died at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. This time, an eight year old giraffe called Jenga. Now the zoo called him an iconic member of the Greater Vancouver Zoo family. According to the zoo, Jenga was found dead in his barn stall on Wednesday afternoon.
Jenga is one of four young giraffes to die at the facility since 2006. And for more on this, we’re joined by Emily Pickett. She’s the Campaign Director for the Vancouver Humane Society. Good morning to you, Emily.
Emily: Good morning.
Stephen: We don’t know all of the details yet. The zoo says it is still awaiting the results of a necropsy.
But what has been your reaction to this news? This was an eight year old giraffe.
Emily: Well, we at the Vancouver Humane Society are deeply saddened to learn of the death of yet another animal at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. And certainly we were surprised. The giraffe Jenga was only eight years old when he died, which is really a fraction of the lifespan for giraffes in the wild where they can live for up to 25 years.
The lives of captive giraffes
Stephen: Right. And tell me more about Jenga’s life in the zoo, or I guess the lives of giraffes generally there, because this is one of four young giraffes to die at that facility since 2006.
Emily: Giraffes are very sensitive animals that we know do not fare well in captivity. In fact, they can have shorter lifespans than their wild counterparts.
The life of Jenga was very different than the life of a wild giraffe, and I think that really points out the concerns that we at the Humane Society have.
In the wild, giraffes live in large herds, they have a large home range. Their natural habitat is typically arid and dry. They’re browsing animals that are adapted to foraging and feeding predominantly on on leaves and stems of trees and shrubs.
But at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, Jenga lived a very different life. He lived with only a couple of other giraffes in a pretty small and barren enclosure, with little to no opportunity to engage in many of those natural behaviours, and certainly in a very different climate than what his wild counterparts would be in.
Stephen: And when you’re talking about that warm, arid climate, it’s exactly the opposite here, especially through the wintertime, I would imagine.
Emily: Yes, absolutely. And that’s a big problem for giraffes, too. They struggle as a species to regulate their body temperatures. And so the colder winter months can be a real problem for them in these environments.
Ongoing welfare concerns at the zoo
Stephen: Tell me about the Vancouver Humane Society and the reports that you have commissioned by Zoocheck. I guess the last one would have been in 2019. Is that right?
Emily: That’s correct. Yeah, the Vancouver Humane Society has had longstanding concerns around the welfare and conditions of animals at the Greater Vancouver Zoo.
And we’ve commissioned reports by Zoocheck as experts in this area for a number of years now. I think our first report on the Vancouver Zoo was back in 1997, and the most recent one, as you mentioned, was in 2019.
The report found a number of key issues overall.
A lot of the issues zoo-wide were about a lack of environmental and behavioural enrichment for the animals, which we know is very important for wild animals. They need to engage in these natural behaviours.
Another concern was inappropriate housing for social animals and indoor enclosures that were really basic and barren.
There were water issues, issues with groundwater and waterlogging of their enclosures, specifically for the giraffes.
Our 2019 report found similar issues as well.
Zoo accreditation doesn’t reflect welfare
Stephen: The zoo is an accredited zoo. Is it not?
Emily: It is, yes, through CAZA. The concern is that it is really a private industry association of zoos and aquariums. They represent their members and the accreditation is really kind of the zoos and aquariums accrediting themselves.
So, that’s a bit problematic for us. It certainly sounds good on the surface, but it isn’t necessarily an indicator of best practices or high animal welfare standards. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the animals are doing well.
And as you mentioned, the number of deaths and incidents, including in recent years, we think really illustrates the issues.
Calling for change
Stephen: And Emily, is the Humane Society calling for any particular action right now as a result of this?
Emily: We’ve been asking the zoo for many years to take action on its own. We obviously have not seen the changes we would like to see, over the number of years and the number of reports that we’ve drafted and shared with them.
We are still calling on the zoo to do more, but also urging the B. C. government to do more. They are responsible for issuing the permits to the zoo to be able to keep these animals.
So, what we would like to see is the zoo stop keeping exotic animals entirely – as illustrated, they’re not appropriate for these conditions and these environments – and to shift to a sanctuary model where they can focus on rescue, rehab, and release of native species from B.C. and to provide sanctuary for those animals that can’t be released.
Stephen: Emily, thank you for the time this morning. We appreciate it.
Emily: Thank you so much.
Next episode
Please join us next month as we hear perspectives from people who operate farm sanctuaries.
The sudden death of a two-year-old gorilla at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo has prompted some conservation experts to push for change.
The sudden death of a two-year-old gorilla at the Calgary Zoo has prompted conservation experts to push for change.
According to CTV News Calgary, “The zoo said on Tuesday that Eyare, a female western lowland gorilla, had been injured while moving between back-of-house spaces.”
“The zoo declined to share any further details about the gorilla’s fatal injuries or what caused them, saying an investigation is underway and a necropsy will be completed.”
Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, called the lack of transparency about the incident “disturbing”.
The Calgary Zoo previously underwent a review from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for unusual and frequent animal deaths between 2005 and 2010, with fatal incidents continuing throughout the next decade.
Zoocheck founder Rob Laidlaw said, “If you’re trying to say you’re breeding animals or keeping animals for conservation and they’re dying from all these mishaps and other things … that’s counter to what you’re telling the public that you want to do.”
Multiple tragic animal deaths at zoos across North America and around the world have been brought to the public’s attention this year, including:
Jenga the giraffe, who was found dead in his enclosure at the Greater Vancouver Zoo on October 23rd;
Sakura the red panda, who had recently given birth after being transferred from the Greater Vancouver Zoo to the Toronto Zoo, and one of her two cubs;
Roxie the red panda, who died due to noise stress from fireworks in Edinburgh;
Baffin the polar bear, who drowned in the Calgary Zoo’s new exhibit after he sustained a bite to the throat;
Twelve monkeys who died from a bacterial outbreak at a zoo in Hong Kong.
Tragic deaths at zoos are typically followed by a necropsy to determine the cause, such as illness or injury. Physical and psychological stressors can contribute to premature death in captive animals.
Wild and exotic animals’ needs are not being met in zoos and aquariums
In addition to deadly incidents, wild and exotic animals regularly suffer when kept in captivity in zoos and aquariums.
Wild and exotic animals are living out their entire lives thousands of kilometres away from their home climates, in enclosures that cannot replicate the size and complexity of their natural habitats. They are unable to engage in many natural behaviours that are crucial to their physical, social and psychological well-being.
Take action
Here in B.C., the Vancouver Humane Society has been engaging with provincial decision-makers to call for changes to captivity regulations, including prohibiting the breeding and import of exotic animals for permanent captivity.
Can you sign the petition to help protect animals from suffering in captivity?
The owner of Holly Hill Farm said on Facebook that each of their approximately 50 chickens and ducks were put down after they learned avian flu, also known as H5N1, was spreading through the flock.
Vancouver Island’s health authority is warning the public after an avian flu outbreak at a petting farm resulted in the euthanasia of 50 animals and possible human exposure.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been killing animals around the world, and British Columbia is a major hub for the disease. More than half of birds killed due to the virus spread over the past few years – 6 million of 11 million – have been in B.C.
The disease has also been seen in mammals, including wild mammals, marine mammals, cows, and pigs. There have been 44 reported human cases in the U.S. and one in Canada. “So far, the people who are contracting the disease have gotten it from cows or chickens.”
The spread and mutation of avian flu is accelerated by commercial poultry farms, where birds such as chickens and turkeys are often raised in crowded, stressful conditions. Earlier this year, an article by Eleanor Boyle discussed the avian flu outbreak and the need to transition away from industrial animal agriculture to address disease spread.
Ends November 8: Share your top 3 welfare concerns for chickens & turkeys
The National Farm Animal Care Council’s (NFACC) Chicken and Turkey Code of Practice, which serves as a guideline for on-farm care and handling of birds raised for meat, is coming up for review. The current code allows for many inhumane practices that compromise the welfare of chickens and turkeys in the poultry industry, such as overcrowding and painful procedures.
By taking the quick survey, you can help determine the top priorities for the code review and speak up for hundreds of millions of individual animals.
What is the most common argument you’ve heard against going vegan?
As a vegan organization, the Vancouver Humane Society regularly advocates to make plant-based eating more accessible and reduce the demand for industrial animal agriculture. Plant-based advocates often hear arguments from people who disagree with veganism. This episode will delve into some of those arguments and ways to respond to them in a manner that is reasoned, thoughtful, and kind.
Amy: The first argument is that plant-based foods are overly processed.
Chantelle: Yeah, I hear this one a lot. I think sometimes people mistake the term plant-based foods for commercial plant-based meat substitutes or dairy substitutes.
But when we use the term plant-based, we’re really just referring to any foods that are made from plants without animal products. That includes things like vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds.
Of course, you can also find processed plant-based foods, just as you can find processed animal-based foods.
Why do people eat processed plant-based foods?
Chantelle: Processed foods also have their place. Some people enjoy them as a treat or as a quick option. Some people use them as they’re transitioning from an omnivore diet to make the shift easier.
I personally really enjoy some of the meat alternatives; they’re one of the proteins in my meal rotation. And so are lentils, and so are beans, and tofu, and nuts, and seitan, and soy curls, and all those other whole foods.
I basically eat how I ate before I went vegan, but thinking a little more now about getting all my nutrients. I also have a little bit more variety in my diet, just because there’s more plants out there than there are animals that humans eat.
I find that generally when someone shifts to a plant-based diet, if they ate processed foods made from animals, generally they’ll also have some processed foods made from plants in their diet. And if they ate mostly whole foods as an omnivore, they’ll do the same as a vegan.
Switching to a plant-based diet almost never looks like switching from an organic chicken breast and steamed vegetables and organic brown rice on a plate to like a plate of imitation meat and Oreos.
“Processed” doesn’t mean “bad”
Chantelle: I think it’s important to note that processed foods are not bad foods. There are some foods that feed your soul more than they feed your body, but also a lot of imitation meats have a nutrition profile that’s comparable to the meat that they’re imitating.
We have a really good blog post about understanding meat alternatives on our Plant University website that looks at a nutrition profile breakdown of meat alternatives.
Amy: Personally, I like to think of food as a spectrum. So from eating raw vegetables to a processed plant-based burger, they all have a place in our diet.
There’s a few things that I’ve been surprised to learn as a vegan. There’s just myths out there about food.
Microwaving vegetables has been tested as keeping more nutrients in them than boiling them. Cooking method and ingredients in food can impact the amount of nutrients your body gets from the foods.
Focus on a variety of foods you enjoy
Amy: Variety really makes the biggest impact on nutrient intake. I try to think of that in terms of how I eat.
In one day, I might eat cereal and oat milk that’s fortified with vitamins and minerals. I might have a smoothie with fresh frozen fruits, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, maybe even a plant-based collagen booster powder to strengthen my tendons that has greens and probiotics in it. I might have chips with pre-made salsa, an avocado, and then homemade cashew queso made with raw ingredients like nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, chili powder, and then maybe some vegan chocolate to make sure I get all my iron.
Half of that is processed, half of it isn’t, but my focus is on foods that taste good, promote muscle and tendon strength, are really easy, and promote brain and blood health.
The other day I had a microwavable vegan gluten free lasagna from Amy’s Kitchen, and another day I bought vegan pizza and pre-prepared samosas, and another day Daiya vegan pizza because I don’t necessarily have a lot of time in my day.
They’re all quick, they tasted good, and that’s what keeps me enjoying plant-based foods. So as long as I’m not eating the same thing every day and I try to switch it up and include fruits and veggies here and there, I know I’m doing alright on nutrients.
Make plant-based eating fun
Amy: When folks are thinking about this and talking about this, I think it’s about acceptance. I think it’s about making eating plant-based foods fun and enjoyable and easy and having less judgement on like what that looks like for an individual person; because that’s going to change over their lifetime, given their mental health, time capacity, energy levels, activity levels, all of those things.
Chantelle: Yeah, I think that’s a really good way of looking at it.
Does plant-based eating drive monoculture crops?
It takes more crops to feed animals than humans
Chantelle: We talk about how plant-based eating is better for the environment, but sometimes we hear from people that they believe veganism is bad for the environment, particularly because it drives monoculture crops.
A lot of people talk about the impact of growing things like soy as monoculture crops. We know that’s a key protein that you can eat on a plant-based diet, but more crops are needed to feed animals for human consumption than would be needed to feed humans directly.
The demand for meat and animal products is actually a driving factor in the use of monoculture crops because the vast majority of animals grown for food spend some or all of their lives in an industrial farming environment or a feedlot. It’s not all grazing on pastures.
In Canada, corn is mainly used for animal feed and ethanol.
In the United States, 12% of corn is used to feed people, but 60% goes to feeding animals raised for foods.
About 77% of the world’s soy is used for animal feed.
So we’re seeing that by and large, more of these proteins and grains are being used to feed animals than if they were feeding humans directly.
Amy: It’s amazing how much farmland is being used to grow food to feed animals, which in any kind of logical way of thinking is a huge inefficiency when it comes to feeding a population of more than 7 billion people.
We’d be doing a lot better for the environment if all those fields grew food directly to feed people.
Approach with curiosity
Amy: I think if this is brought up and someone is talking about it, the best way to meet them is with compassion, kind of sharing, I hear that you care for the environment and you’re concerned about monoculture crops. And I’d love to learn more about this alongside you because I’m not an expert in it.
And then going someplace you can trust the output of it and research it together and come at it with that idea of learning and growing alongside them, rather than trying to prove that they’re wrong or make it seem like they have no idea what they’re talking about.
It’s okay to walk away
Chantelle: There’s two different sides of this coin of people using these arguments. There’s people you might be talking to in real life who often are speaking in good faith using arguments where they really feel they’re making the best decision for the environment or for what they really care about.
Sometimes there’s people on the internet saying these things who are really just going to throw whatever spaghetti at the wall they can to dispute your point. And sometimes you just have to walk away from arguments like that as well.
Shouldn’t I just eat local instead?
Eating local helps, but pair it with other changes
Amy: This next one, I think it’s a really good argument. I’m really curious to hear what you have to say about it, Chantelle. The argument is that shipping plant-based foods from far away is bad for the environment. You should just eat local, humanely raised, animal-based foods.
So I imagine this is things like palm oil and coconut coming on planes from places far away.
Chantelle: One thing people talk about is the impact of shipping plant-based foods a long distance as opposed to eating local animal based foods. And they’ve done a lot of research on this.
It’s certainly important to prioritize local, sustainable plant agriculture. I think we can all agree on that.
But, the research shows that ending all international food transport would only cut food miles emissions by 9% worldwide. Researchers have said that other choices like eating seasonal produce and reducing meat consumption could have a greater impact in reducing the climate impact of your food.
We can’t move to local, more “humane” animal foods while meeting current demand
Chantelle: Another thing is that eating local the way that some people talk about isn’t possible for most people. A lot of people who use this argument are talking about rural communities where they’re picturing a small scale animal farm with animals out on the pasture, and you can walk over to meet your local farmer, and then you can buy some meat from your local butcher, and that’s not what’s really happening.
The reality of the world we live in is the vast majority of people are living in cities, and we don’t have the space to be raising animals like that to feed all those people.
If we go farther out into nearby rural communities, we don’t have the space to have every animal roaming the pasture to meet a really high demand for animal products for every person who lives in the world right now.
That’s why industrial animal agriculture developed: to fit more animals into a smaller space for a lower cost and meet that really high demand for our growing population.
We don’t have a world of Old McDonald farms. We have a world where about 90% of farmed animals and 74% of farmed land animals are being raised in factory farms.
Locally raised animals can still be transported long distances to slaughter
Amy: With how few slaughterhouses there are, animals, even ones that are raised locally, are being transported huge distances to be killed.
For example, something I learned when I lived on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia is that animals have to travel in vehicles, on a ferry, and then on the highway again, going to the Lower Mainland.
Then the meat, after the animals are killed and processed, goes back on the highway, on the ferry, on the highway again.
And that’s a short distance compared to some of the really long distances animals are being shipped. That uses just so many greenhouse gases, not to mention the suffering of the animals.
Plant-based foods skip the slaughterhouse
Amy: So the benefit of plant-based products is they skip that in between step. They’re going to on farm or nearby processing facilities and then they’re getting to the consumer more directly.
This is an argument that can be shared and at the same time it’s something that can be researched together, discussed together, and making sure that you hear where someone’s coming from.
Absolutely, coconuts are shipped from far away, but what are some other things we can consider? It’s all about having that conversation and building trust with the other person who’s putting that argument forward that you understand where they’re coming from.
Chantelle: Yeah, that’s a really great point. The animals are shipped from the pasture to the feedlot to the slaughterhouse and the crops to feed the animals are shipped from wherever they’re grown to the feedlot. There’s a lot more steps involved in animal agriculture than there are in plant-based.
Does veganism cause more animal deaths than animal agriculture?
True: Wild animals die as a result of agriculture
Chantelle: Another argument that we hear is veganism causes more animal deaths than animal agriculture.
I have a really hard time with this one, but I think a way to approach it compassionately is just to kind of lay out the facts.
First of all, do animals die from growing plants? Yes. Some animals die unintentionally from the machinery that’s used to grow and harvest crops, and some animals are killed intentionally to protect crops.
Some animals are also killed intentionally to protect farmed animals raised for food; that’s just across the entire farming system.
More crops are needed to feed animals than to feed humans directly
Chantelle: First of all, it’s not just vegans eating plants. Every human needs plants to meet their nutrition requirements.
But it’s not just humans eating crops; crops are used for animal feed.
About 36% of the world’s crop calories are used for animal feed compared to 55% feeding humans directly. If we look at the calories consumed globally, about 17% of the global calorie supply comes from animal foods, and then plant-based foods make up the other 83%.
When you look at the fact that animals are eating almost as many crops as all humans, you see that it takes far more crops to feed animals for humans to eat than it would to feed humans directly.
So while it’s not possible to eliminate all animal suffering entirely, plant-based diets are the best option to dramatically reduce it.
Respond with understanding and empathy
Amy: Yeah, this one’s interesting. I mean, animals die from all aspects of human existence.
With the need to protect crops, pesticides and rodenticides are being used.
Going to a restaurant, there’s likely rat and mouse traps set up all over the place. Grocery stores as well.
These are existing with any kind of food. It’s not a problem specific to veganism.
The best thing to do when someone brings this up is not to deny it, but to acknowledge it. It’s sad. It sucks a lot that animals are dying so that humans can live and can consume plants, but eating a vegan diet still has a far less impact on animals in the environment overall.
Can plant-based foods meet your nutritional needs?
You can get all the nutrients you need from plant-based foods
Amy: This next one I think is a really common one that comes up, and it’s that plant-based foods won’t meet all your nutritional needs.
Chantelle: Yeah, I think that we’re getting to a place where there’s a broader scientific consensus that eating more plant-based foods is healthier for you.
When we look at the specific nutrients, you can get all the nutrients you need from plant-based foods.
There are a few that are more difficult to get or that only come in fortified plant-based foods. If you don’t want to keep track of all the nutrients you’re consuming directly from foods every day, you can take a supplement. I personally take iron pill and a B12 gummy every day. I sometimes also take omega 3 gummies.
But I get plenty of protein and calcium and iron from plants. And those are the ones that I see people worry about the most often.
You can’t get all the nutrients you need from animal foods alone
Chantelle: Another thing to note is I see carnivore only diets popping up sometimes where people are just eating animal-based foods. And you cannot get all the nutrients you need from that.
You can only get fibre from plant-based foods. So people on a carnivore only diet are getting zero fibre.
Nutrition is no mystery
Chantelle: One of the first things you learn as a kid is you’ll be healthier if you eat your veggies, and it holds true.
There’s this impression that nutrition is such a mystery, and everything is just a trend. But really, the vast majority of nutrition experts have reached a consensus that eating a wide variety of whole plant-based foods is good for your health, and it’s a good idea to limit red meat intake.
Amy: Absolutely. And just to add to some of those things you said, Chantelle, oat milk has a lot of B12 added into it already. Dark chocolate is so full of iron. Beans have a lot of calcium, but so do fortified plant milks, figs, leafy greens. Potatoes have a bunch of potassium and vitamin C.
Nutrition education has been influenced by industry
Amy: I’ve realized that most of what I’ve learned about nutrition growing up was influenced by food manufacturers and producers such as the dairy industry.
We know now that kids can thrive on plant-based diets.
The beauty of scientific research means that we understand it isn’t dairy milk that’s preventing osteoarthritis. It’s the combination of consuming calcium and a magnesium together in good quantities. You can get those in combination together from greens, seeds, beans, brown rice, quinoa. The list goes on and on.
So this is one of those myths that I find really fun to chat about with people because they start to realize how much what they grew up with is not the reality and how much opportunity there is to learn about what a body needs to thrive and be well.
And again, the most important part is to approach it with excitement and intrigue and compassion.
Talking about these topics with a judgment or know it all attitude will just sour someone’s experience and have the opposite impact.
Chantelle: Absolutely. That is always something really important to keep in mind.
Is soy bad for you?
Soy does not increase estrogen levels
Chantelle: We’re keeping in the trend of health related topics; sometimes you hear that soy is bad for you because it increases estrogen.
Soy gets a bad reputation because it has something in it called phytoestrogen, which is a naturally occurring compound in plant foods that has a similar chemical structure to our body’s natural estrogen, but it behaves differently and it’s about a thousand times weaker.
According to research, phytoestrogens don’t increase our body’s estrogen, and some experts have suggested they may have a balancing effect on our body’s natural hormone levels.
But if you are worried about extra estrogen in your diet, your real concern should be dairy, which is the source of about 60 to 80 percent of estrogens consumed in Western diets.
Soy is does not increase estrogen or decrease testosterone levels
Amy: This was actually a really big one that came up when I was dating someone who was concerned about veganism. The bottom line that I figured out after researching it is that soy foods are a good source of protein and a healthy part of a balanced diet.
The concerns I heard most are related to men and children. So I’ll speak more to that.
As far as men, research has shown that eating soy foods does not lead to increased estrogen levels or decreased testosterone levels in men. Some studies have even shown that soy consumption may have a significant health benefit for men, such as lowering the risk of prostate cancer and improving heart health.
Soy has many nutrients for healthy development in children
Amy: As far as children goes, soy is a really great source of protein, providing all the essential amino acids required for growth and development. Soy foods contain fiber, vitamin K, folate, some B vitamins, iron, calcium, and magnesium. It also contains polyunsaturated fats, including omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, which are important for brain development.
So knowing these facts and more about plant-based nutrients can really help when those challenging questions come up from parents who think a vegan diet is abusive to children.
Are dairy cows dangerous to their calves?
A calf and mother at Sanctuaire pour animaux de ferme de l’Estrie in Quebec. Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media.
Dairy calves are removed so their mothers’ milk can be used and sold
Amy: The next argument is that the dairy industry takes calves from their mothers so that the mother cow doesn’t accidentally kill them.
Chantelle: Dairy farmers and sanctuary owners have spoken out against this myth, but it’s still one that persists.
Dairy is produced by impregnating cows and then the baby calf is typically removed within a few hours so the milk can be used by humans.
And then the calves are fed milk, which is sometimes waste milk from the dairy industry or a milk replacer. And then they go on to be killed for veal if they’re male or raised as dairy cows if they’re female.
Are the calves removed for their own safety? No. They’re removed because the human animal agriculture industry wants to use the milk. They would be removed regardless, because we have a dairy industry and humans want to use milk for their own consumption.
Dairy cows and calves suffer when separated
Chantelle: But even if dairy cows had lost some of their maternal instincts through the years, through generations of having their babies removed, it wouldn’t be an excuse to continue breeding them and continuing the cycle.
We see that cows mourn when their babies are taken away. They cry. They chase after them. They try to stop the farmers from taking the calves.
The dairy industry continues to do this so the milk can be used and sold for humans, and it doesn’t need to be. We have plant-based alternatives for this.
Cows and calves form a close bond
Amy: I’ve spent quite a bit of time with mama and baby cows. And it’s so incredibly far from reality, I’m not even sure how it got spread as a myth.
The bond between cows and their babies is one of the most beautiful motherhood bonds I personally have ever experienced.
I’ve noticed that cow moms are just so protective of their little ones. I got to be around just a couple day old calf and mama put her horns around me. I was providing some supplemental milk to the calf to make sure that he was getting enough and she watched me every second of the time I was there with him.
They feed calves from their udders for years, not just one year, but sometimes more. Past the point where the calves start to be painful and annoying and they bother their mums. Their mums still keep feeding them and giving them love. It’s pretty special.
The dairy industry is emotionally painful for animals
Amy: I’ve heard the call of calves and their mums calling for each other on multiple different farms who are separated from each other. And it’s really sad.
If you really think about the dairy industry and how it’s all set up, to me, this is in a way the most emotionally painful and complex animal industry.
And yet it’s the one that people love cheese and they have a really hard time giving up milk because they just like how it tastes and it’s addictive.
And yet this is the one that has such a massive emotional burden on so many. It’s something that we can move away from and, and take a stand for the mamas and the babies and what they deserve.
Chantelle: I hear a lot from people who say they would have a hard time giving up cheese. I was one of them once, and I think a lot of people who are vegan now were once that person.
And once I gave it up, I honestly didn’t find it difficult. But I find it really difficult to see the realities of the dairy industry.
If we stopped farming animals, would they go extinct?
Selective breeding in modern farmed animals poses welfare concerns
Chantelle: So this next argument is when I have a really hard time believing that people are making it in good faith, but maybe they are. The idea is if we stopped farming animals, those animals would go extinct.
I don’t know where this idea came from, that animal agriculture is some sort of conservation movement. Keeping animals alive so that we can use and slaughter them at a fraction of their natural lifespan is not about conservation.
Modern farmed animals have also been selectively bred for the maximum meat production or byproduct production, like eggs or dairy, and that has been detrimental to their health. It leads to so much suffering.
Broiler chickens raised for meat grow so large that their legs cannot support their bodies.
Egg laying hens lay eggs far more often than they would in the wild, which uses up the calcium they need in their bodies, and it leads to bone fractures.
There are genetic defects in cattle and sheep and pigs from selective breeding for growth and from inbreeding.
Animal agriculture is harmful to wildlife conservation
Chantelle: If we’re talking about conservation, industrial animal agriculture has also been extremely harmful for wildlife.
Wild animals are killed to protect farmed animals.
We see habitat loss for raising and feeding animals.
Agricultural runoff is harmful to waterways and to animals who live in them and depend on them for drinking water.
When we look at all of the mammals on earth, farmed animals make up 62% of the world’s mammal biomass, whereas wild animals are just 4%. Farmed animals are really not struggling to be conserved right now.
How grazing impacts conservation
Amy: I appreciate this one because I think it comes up really commonly with the beef industry. Particularly it’s one I’ve seen the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association put forward a specific version of it, which is that there’s areas of the North American plains that only cows are able to graze to maintain, and that it would be problematic if these areas were not grazed.
There’s truth to this statement. And I think that’s important to acknowledge. It’s true that there are benefits to grazing. There used to be huge amounts of bison ranging the land and grazing.
Well managed grazing mimics the natural processes that once involved those wild herbivores. It maintains plant diversity, supports soil health, and regulates species composition.
But on the flip side, we’re talking about well managed grazing. And when it comes to the volume of animals being produced for farming, there’s often overgrazing or poor management of that land, which can degrade the ecosystems.
So, if cows were to stop grazing in many of these areas, there’s benefits that could be experienced such as without the pressure of domestic livestock, the ecosystems could be more natural. There could be new plant diversity and more wild animals coming back into the spaces. And then it can also improve the soil structure, reduce erosion, and increase soil carbon sequestration, which benefits the ecosystem and climate change mitigation.
So, there’s sort of this, this nuance and this balance, but when it comes to wild animals, they move differently than farmed animals over sections of land and these areas were really intended for wild herbivores to travel across them.
What would happen to farmed animals if everyone went vegan?
The shift to a plant-based world is gradual
Chantelle: I think this one is kind of a different side of the same coin, which is if we all go vegan, the farmed animals would all be killed, or would take over, or would have nowhere to go.
And first of all, a lot of these questions come from the idea that everyone on earth will somehow go vegan all at the same time and that all farmed animals will suddenly be rendered economically redundant. I do not see that happening.
I think it’s much more realistic that people are going to gradually shift toward a plant based food system and fewer animals will be bred for food over time.
A compassionate world would not make life worse for animals
Chantelle: But even if we did have this suddenly vegan world, farmed animals are already headed to slaughter. Farmed animals are already regularly being culled because of things like shifts in the economy or disease spread.
So a world where all people suddenly care very deeply about animal welfare and are doing our best for the animals can’t be worse than the system we have in place right now.
Animal consumption continues to grow
Amy: This myth sounds like it’s coming from someone who was on their last limits of trying to have an argument against veganism.
The consumption of animals is continuing to grow on our planet. Which makes me really sad, as someone who spends my life trying to advocate for these animals.
Even with the number of people going vegan and vegetarian growing, it isn’t enough to match the population growth. The volume of animals being killed and consumed is still larger than ever.
It’s remarkable how much change is going to be needed to make a drop in the bucket when it comes to reducing animal consumption.
That degree of gradual change is not going to have any of the suggested impacts listed in this myth.
If we all go vegan, what will cats and dogs eat?
As the food system shifts for humans, we work on solutions for pets
Amy: And we’ve got one more. If we all go vegan, what will dogs and cats eat?
Chantelle: I think that’s a good question. I think as we move toward a plant-based food system for humans, we’ll also be working toward a similar shift for animals.
And it’s an important question to ask what our companion animals who eat an omnivore or carnivore diet can eat besides other animals.
If our goal is to end farmed animal suffering, two important steps are shifting human diets toward plant based foods and then working on solutions for non-human animals who eat meat to not be relying on food from other animals.
Some ways we can do that is to support researching nutrition needs and developing cultured or lab grown meat. We talk more about what pet food looks like in a vegan future in our episode, Is my pet happy.
Cultured meat (lab-grown meat) and plant-based options
Amy: I would love to see cultured meat become affordable and available for pet food. I think that is the absolute way of the future. It’s unfortunate that we’re just in a time right now where it’s still in development, but I think it’s going to become the norm very soon.
And there’s also vegan pet foods. Which many animals right now are thriving on and enjoying. I just think how great would it be to lower our impact and consumption of animal products because of continued technological innovation. And to me, that seems like something everyone can get on board with.
Next episode
Please join us next month as we hear perspectives from people who operate farm sanctuaries.
