Vancouver Humane Society
Exuberant English Bulldog, Bubba, injured his leg while playing at the park.
When he began limping and showing signs of pain, his owner Holly took him to the vet, who confirmed he would need an x-ray, most likely followed by surgery for a suspected torn or broken ligament.
Holly, a single parent on disability, reached out to VHS for help.
Could you make a donation today to help us cover the cost of Bubba’s x-ray?
Rocco’s owner, Fay, adopted Rocco when he was 2-years-old. On a limited pension from the government, Fay was nervous when Rocco started limping. He needed an ACL surgery, but on her limited funds she was going to have to choose between buying groceries and giving up her best friend.
Luckily, Fay found the Vancouver Humane Society and we were able to assist her in covering the costs of Rocco’s much needed surgery.
For his 10th birthday, days before his surgery, Fay showered Rocco in treats, happy to celebrate their close bond. Rocco’s surgery went well and he is now on the mend!
UPDATE: This campaign petition gained more that 3300 signatures, which VHS forwarded to officials at the B.C. Wildlife and Habitat Branch. We are now asking the federal government to take action against the wildlife trade. Please support our new petition!
Original post:
VHS is shifting the focus of our campaigns and communications to include the wildlife and exotic pet trade, which has been implicated in the emergence of COVID-19.
The emergence of new zoonotic diseases (diseases that spread from animals to humans) has been ignored for far too long, especially its connection to the international wildlife trade (explained in our recent op-ed). It’s time the international community and all levels of government in Canada took action to put and end to the illegal wildlife trade, which is not only inhumane but also is a threat to biodiversity and public health.
Here in B.C., the provincial government’s Controlled Alien Species Regulation governs “the possession, breeding, shipping, and releasing of alien animals that pose a risk to the health or safety of people, property, wildlife, or wildlife habitat.”
We’re calling on the government to review the regulation to ensure it addresses the threat of zoonotic disease from the trade in wild and exotic animals.
Please send a message to the provincial government’s Wildlife and Habitat Branch, asking them to take action to address this important issue.
VHS letter calls for legislation to require local authorities to include animals in emergency plans
VHS has submitted a letter to a provincial government consultation on modernizing B.C.’s Emergency Program Act (EPA), calling for the Act to ensure animals are not forgotten in emergency planning.
Current legislation does not require local officials to include domestic animals as part of their plans, which we believe puts not only animals at risk but also their guardians.
Our letter also points out that animals held in establishments such as zoos, aquariums, kennels, sanctuaries and breeding facilities are also at risk during emergencies. The letter states: “The EPA should ensure local authorities include these facilities in their emergency plans and provide them with guidance and support in implementing them.”
The consultation ends January 31st, but there is still time to submit your views.
Last month little Loki, a small Chihuahua Jack Russel mix was found abandoned, wondering the streets of Duncan alone.
He was underweight, cold, and very scared of people, particularly men.
The woman that found him noticed that his back leg and tail looked wonky, as if he had been hit by a car or perhaps abused in his former home. He also needed urgent medical treatment, including vaccinations, dental work and neutering.
Luckily for Loki, this kind passerby decided to take him home and Loki quickly made himself comfortable in a warm and cozy house. However, as she had another dog of her own already and as it was just before Christmas time, she knew she would struggle with the expensive costs of the veterinary treatment that Loki would need.
That’s when she reached out to VHS for help. Loki’s medical bills were estimated at over $1,000, an amount that not many of us can imagine having to pay out of the blue.
Loki’s new guardian told us he ‘quickly found his way into our hearts even only after such a short time, we initially had started to look for a home for him because we can’t afford the initial veterinary bills, but if we can have some help he just may have found his forever home.’
Thanks to our McVitie Fund, generously funded by our supporters, we are able to help injured Loki and his new guardian.
We need to raise $25,000 by April 30th to receive a matching grant from one of our generous anonymous donors. This would mean we’d have $50,000 to help animals throughout 2020!
We still have more than $9,000 to raise in three months. You can help us reach our goal by making a donation today.
We receive several phone calls every week from worried animal guardians on low incomes, needing help with veterinary bills.
A small gift today would help animals like Loki. Thank you so much for your support!
The City of Vancouver is asking for public comment on the future of the Bloedel Conservatory, which houses more than 120 exotic birds. The Talk Vancouver survey (for which you need to register) provides an opportunity to ask the conservatory to ensure that the birds’ welfare is a priority in future plans. (The Vancouver Park Board and the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association are collaborating to develop a joint strategic plan for VanDusen Garden and Bloedel Conservatory.) The survey closes February 10.
Specifically, you can ask that when birds are caged (as some birds are when introduced to the conservatory) they are provided with an enriched environment that meets their species-specific needs (e.g toys, puzzles, novel items, opportunity to bathe) to enhance their psychological welfare during this stressful transition time. Your views can help make sure exotic bird welfare is not forgotten in the Bloedel Conservatory’s strategic plan.
It’s important to note that the Conservatory’s website states that all the birds there “have either been directly donated to the Conservatory from homes that can no longer keep them or have been adopted from the GreyHaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary.”
The Animal Welfare Network of British Columbia (AWANBC) is currently seeking public feedback on draft standards for rescues. Follow this link for more information and to submit comments – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9G8NSQ7
The AWANBC, of which the Vancouver Humane Society is a member, aims to enable animal welfare organizations to work together and to support strategies around specific projects and initiatives associated with companion animal welfare.
One such AWANBC project is focused on creating rescue standards of practice. To date, there are no criteria required for groups to be involved in animal welfare or rescue and there is no accountability for these organizations. Meanwhile, the number of animal rescues and shelters across the province continues to grow. While many have high standards of care, others may have practices that put animals and the public at risk.
Without standards of practice, any group can self-identify as a rescue and it can be difficult for the public to determine if a rescue group is reputable or not. AWANBC has identified this as a pressing animal welfare and public safety issue and has worked to develop Animal Rescue Standards of Practice.
Follow this link for more information on the standards and to submit comments – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9G8NSQ7
Weapons for “big game” hunting: The province listened to our concerns and prohibited the use of any weapon other than a firearm or bow, citing concerns about a higher likelihood of animal suffering from the use of alternative weapons.
No Hunting/Shooting Zone along Sea to Sky Highway: The province added a new no hunting and no shooting zone along the Sea to Sky highway. This follows a tragic incident in 2017, when a hunter in the area fatally shot a dog that he mistook for a wolf (despite the area being closed to wolf hunting), prompting calls by the dog’s guardian and the public for a no shooting and no hunting zone along the route.
Use of Technology to Locate Wildlife: The province prohibited the use of infrared optics (or thermal imaging) and wireless trail cameras for the purpose of hunting, as well as sharing the location of wildlife from an aircraft to a hunter on the ground.
Pursuit-only Season for Cougars: The province banned the pursuit-only season for cougars, where previously hunters who had killed their limit of cougars were permitted to continue chasing and treeing the animals with their hounds for training and exercise opportunities. In some situations, this created significant stress for mother cougars and their young.
Thank you for your advocacy to make these changes happen!
The provincial government is currently seeking public feedback on a long list of proposed hunting and trapping regulations. This is an opportunity to weigh in on wildlife conservation and welfare issues in your area and throughout the province.
Weapons for Big Game Hunting
There are currently no regulations in place preventing big game hunters from using alternative or primitive weapons such as slingshots, spears and airguns. Citing concerns surrounding a higher likelihood of unnecessary suffering, a proposed regulation seeks to prohibit the use of any weapon other than a firearm or bow.
No Hunting/Shooting Zone along Sea to Sky Highway
Another regulation proposes a new no hunting and no shooting zone along the Sea to Sky highway. Unlike many other highways in the province, the stretch of highway 99 between Squamish and Pemberton or the Callaghan Road near Whistler currently has no restrictions on hunting or shooting within 400m of the highway. The area is a popular spot for locals, hikers and tourists. Tragically, in 2017 a hunter in the area fatally shot a dog that he mistook for a wolf (despite the area being closed to wolf hunting), prompting calls by the dog’s owner and the public for a no shooting and no hunting zone along the route.
Use of Technology to Locate Wildlife
Several proposals also seek to prohibit the use of technology to assist hunters, including banning infrared optics (or thermal imaging) which enable hunters to see the heat signature of animal that is otherwise invisible to the naked eye; wireless trail cameras that when triggered send images of wildlife to a remote device and provide a hunter with the location of wildlife; and the sharing of location of wildlife from an aircraft to a hunter on the ground. The rationale behind banning this type of equipment for hunting purposes is that the use of it fails to meet the principles of fair chase, giving hunters an unfair advantage over wildlife. VHS is concerned that the use of such technology for hunting is turning B.C.’s backcountry into a canned hunt scenario, where the ability for wildlife to avoid human detection is increasingly diminished.
Pursuit-only Season for Cougars
Another proposed regulation aims to ban the pursuit-only season for cougars in the Kootenay region, where existing regulations allow hunters who have killed their allotment of cougars to continue chasing and treeing the animals with their hounds. The rationale behind permitting a pursuit-only season was to allow houndsmen to train and exercise their dogs, but the cruel practice not only causes unnecessary stress to the animals, but can lead to injury for the cougar and the hounds, as well as the separation of mothers and kittens.
Numerous other regulations focused on motorized vehicle and firearm restrictions and changes to specific hunting seasons are also being proposed. For example, a proposal to end wolverine trapping in the Kootenays; implement a mule deer bow only season on Gulf, Denman and Hornby Islands; prohibit the use of precision-guided firearms and scopes on bows during bow-only seasons; and changes to black bear hunting seasons within the traditional territory of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation in the Great Bear Rainforest in order to support bear viewing tourism efforts by the Nation.
How to Submit Comments
For the full list of proposed regulations, click here. The public comment period ends January 19, 2020 at midnight. To participate through the government’s engagement website, you’ll need to register for a “Basic BCeID” account. Once you’ve created a BCeID, return to the main hunting/trapping regulation page and click login. Once you’ve logged in, it will return you to the main page and you can scroll through the list of proposals. On each proposal page, you’ll be able to scroll to the bottom and select “support”, “neutral” or “oppose”. You’ll also be able to leave a comment, if you’d like to elaborate on your position.
VHS has a long history of opposition to animal captivity. Most recently, we published a report, commissioned from Zoocheck, that drew attention to a number of issues at the Greater Vancouver Zoo.
The report found that animals at the zoo were suffering from boredom and frustration caused by the lack of activity and stimulation that comes with captivity.
In addition, the report identified animal enclosures that were too small, including cages for raptors (owls, hawks, kestrels) that provided no opportunity for flight. Tanks in the zoo’s reptile house were also found to be under-sized, preventing animals from engaging in natural behaviours.
A key finding was that a number of the zoo’s exotic animals are not suited to B.C.’s climate and should be moved to more appropriate facilities. In the longer term, the report recommended, the zoo should transition toward becoming a sanctuary for native species.
The report has received widespread media attention and many people joined our e-campaign calling on the zoo to address the issues it raises. Our opinion editorial in the Georgia Straight gives an overview of the psychological suffering experienced by captive animals at the Greater Vancouver Zoo and other zoos around the world.
The management of the Greater Vancouver Zoo has not responded directly to VHS or Zoocheck, but has told news media that it has plans to make changes and improvements over the next few years. It remains to be seen whether these changes will make a positive difference to the lives of the animals, but VHS will continue to monitor the zoo and draw public attention to their conditions and welfare.
VHS is pleased to announce that Amy Morris has been appointed as Executive Director.
Amy joins VHS from the BC SPCA, where she most recently served as Public Policy and Outreach Manager/Policy and Companion Animals Manager. Amy has wide experience in the animal protection movement, campaigning for policy changes at the municipal, provincial and federal levels to curtail animal exploitation.
Successes include updating municipal bylaws to restrict chaining dogs and the sale of animals in pet stores, along with introducing a framework to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to regulate cat and dog breeding. She has also worked on improving access to housing for people with companion animals and managed a team to produce a strategy for reducing the suffering of unwanted cats in B.C.
Amy has considerable knowledge of farmed animal welfare issues, having worked for five months on four farms to gain first hand understanding of the animals’ experience and welfare.
Holding a Master of Public Policy from Simon Fraser University (focusing on policies to regulate dog breeding), Amy has used her knowledge and skills to bring about real and positive change in animal protection. Having started as a volunteer with the Montreal SPCA, where she helped to care for animals from puppy mill seizures and hoarding situations, Amy has had a lifelong commitment to improving the lives of animals.
Amy lives in Vancouver with her family, including Clover, a communicative and assertive three-year-old collie shepherd. She will take up her post in mid-January.