Noah found his way into the home and heart of his current guardian nearly four years ago, after his previous family no longer wanted to care for him. His guardian describes him as a wonderful companion who brings her so much joy every day.
Back in 2017 Noah developed a tumour in his mouth, along with an ear infection and hot spots. His caregiver took him to the vet, but as a pensioner on disability her funds were limited.
Thanks to the McVitie Fund, VHS was able to step in to help and Noah underwent surgery to remove the tumour and receive medications to treat his ear infection and hot spots.
He’s since recovered and his guardian is grateful for the assistance she received in a time of need.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters we are able to continue helping animals like Noah. Since the start of 2019 we’ve helped over 30 animals in need of veterinary assistance, whether that be through spay and neuters, emergency dental work, x-rays or even surgery!
Unfortunately there are very few options available for low-income guardians in emergencies. That’s why the McVitie Fund aims to keep beloved animals in their forever home instead of being surrendered to over-burdened shelters or unnecessarily euthanized.
Click here to find out more about the McVitie Fund and read more heartwarming stories of the animals we’ve helped thanks to donations from our supporters!
Earlier this week, Vancouver Humane Society staff spent the morning volunteering at The Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary in Aldergrove.
After helping clean up around the sanctuary, we spent some down time with the rescued animals who call Happy Herd home.
The pigs came running to the gate to greet us and ask for treats (which they sat nicely for!). While we cleaned, they played in the mud and requested the occasional belly rub.
We also visited with the goats while they enjoyed their lunch, which they generously shared with some of the chickens. Lunch was followed by the goats showing off their climbing skills on the ramps set up in their area.
The cows spent the morning lounging in the field and soaking up the sun. Meanwhile, the turkeys, Moe and Leonard, who go everywhere together, stopped by to show off their beautiful feathers and to check in on everyone. They’re very curious and love following guests around the sanctuary.
Seeing the animals at Happy Herd live out their lives as they should – playing, exploring, enjoying a mud bath, asking to be pet and napping in the shade – is a reminder of how similar they are to the cats and dogs we open our homes and hearts to. They share the same capacity for love, happiness, fear and suffering, yet society treats them very differently.
This is something both The Happy Herd and Vancouver Humane strive to change. Please consider supporting the wonderful work that Happy Herd does to help farmed animals in need and be sure to mark your calendars for our joint Giving Tuesday fundraiser on December 3rd!
Nothing beats spending a sunny summer day at one of Vancouver’s beautiful beaches, pools or parks – except maybe doing that while also enjoying a delicious plant-based meal or treat. Thanks to some new menu additions at a number of city-run concession stands, it’s never been easier to do exactly that!
Mark Halyk, the Food & Beverage Operations Manager for the Vancouver Board of Parks & Recreation, explained that the move to offer more veg and vegan options on concession menus is part of the city’s larger effort to meet the growing demand for local, healthier and more sustainable foods. Other recent sustainability-focused Park Board initiatives include reducing single-use plastics, switching to wooden cutlery and offering discounts to patrons who supply their own travel mug.
The new menu additions are a big change from what you might typically find at concession stands. They include a variety of veg and vegan Vij’s curries (available at Second Beach and Jericho beach locations), battered cauliflower tacos and battered avocado tacos that are veg but can be made vegan (available at all locations except Sunset Beach and Railway Café), plant-based burgers including the Beyond Meat burger and Yves burger (available at all locations) and fresh plant-based salads with greens grown on local golf courses (available at Second Beach, Third Beach, Kitsilano pool, Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks East).
You’ll also be able to cool off with plant-based Umaluma gelato (available at Kitsilano pool and Jericho Beach) and treat yourself to Erin Ireland’s “To Die For” plant-based loaves and cookies and Three Farmers roasted chickpea, lentil and pea snacks (available at all locations).
Plant-based “Beyond Meat” burger / @foodlees
Recent surveys have indicated that a growing number of Canadians are reducing their consumption of animal-based foods. In fact, a survey released just last week from Insights West found that 27% of Canadians are likely to consider a vegetarian diet and 11% would take the next step and explore a vegan diet. Meanwhile, 26% of Canadians are likely to drop dairy from their diet. Younger generations are especially open to changing their diets – with 38% of 18-34-year-olds likely to go veg; 17% are likely to try veganism; and 36% are likely to go dairy-free. The survey found the leading motivators for those considering veg and vegan diets are animal cruelty, environmental impact, and personal health.
With awareness building around the many benefits of a plant-based diet, Vancouver Humane is thrilled to see more humane, healthy and sustainable plant-based foods on city menus. Improving public access to these foods is a step in the right direction when it comes to creating a more just and sustainable food system. So, the next time you’re out and about in Vancouver enjoying the beautiful summer weather and are in need of a meal or snack, be sure to check out the plant-based options at any nearby city-run concession stand!
We are so grateful to all of our supporters for donating to the McVitie Fund over the past year. Thanks to your support we raised a total of $20,409 which we’re delighted to say has been matched by a generous anonymous donor! That means we’ve received a total of $40,818 to help sick and injured animals in need.
On average, our veterinary bills amount to over $40,000 per year and as we receive no government funding, we really do rely on our generous donors.
Thanks to our supporters, in the past year alone we have helped over 70 animals in need. Animals like Millie, a seven-year-old female tabby, who was diagnosed with cancer and required surgery to remove one of her ears.
Milly’s guardian reached out to us for financial assistance and thanks to the money raised through our McVitie Fund, we were able to help. Milly’s operation went well and she is now in recovery.
We receive several phone calls a week from worried guardians asking us for financial help. Unfortunately there are very few options available for low-income guardians in emergencies, that’s where our McVitie Fund comes in. The McVitie Fund aims to keep beloved animals in their forever home instead of being surrendered to over-burdened shelters or unnecessarily euthanized.
We’re so pleased to announce that our generous anonymous donor has agreed again to match all donations, up to a total of $25,000, received towards the McVitie Fund from May 1st 2019 – April 30th 2020. Please help save a life today by contributing to the McVitie Fund!
You can donate to help animals and your donation will be doubled through our challenge grant!
Students are saving the world. Just skim the news lately and you’ll come across headlines about 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg’s compelling call to action at the recent UN Climate Change talks, or about the growing #FridaysForFuture youth movement and the recent Youth Climate Strike. Globally, youth are mobilizing a mass movement focused on creating a better world.
Locally, we at the Vancouver Humane Society are also inspired by the youth who have led the effort to bring more humane, healthy and sustainable plant-based foods to their school menus and who have worked to educate and empower their peers, and are proud to support amazing young people in Metro Vancouver.
Shiqi Xu and Naiara Peruchena are two of those local students who have been inspiring change in their community. Our Program Coordinator, Emily Pickett, first met Shiqi and Naiara in 2016 and supported them in co-founding a Meatless Monday Club at their school, Sutherland Secondary, helping to promote plant-based menu changes in order to help animals. Since 2016, their club has led a highly successful Meatless Monday campaign, with the growing demand for plant-based menu items leading to their school’s food service provider to commit to transitioning 20 percent of the daily menu to plant-based foods!
Shiqi and Naiara also presented their Meatless Monday work to the North Vancouver School Board, asking for a letter of support, which the board enthusiastically provided. They were also successful in getting a student choice policy for animal dissection implemented in the school district, with support from the Animals in Science Policy Institute. The student choice policy allows students to opt out of animal dissection and participate in alternative learning methods.
Sutherland Secondary students Naiara Peruchena (on left) and Shiqi Xu (on right)
All that said, it came as no surprise to us that Shiqi was recently awarded the prestigious Loran scholarship of $100,000 to go toward her undergraduate studies. She intends to study bioengineering and wants to help develop biotechnology that will save lives while replacing animals used in testing.
“I am proud of the work Naiara and I have done in promoting healthy, sustainable eating in our school and school district, with VHS’ support,” says Shiqi. “Not only has this experience allowed me to build my leadership skills, but it also played a central role in igniting my passion for sustainability and animal rights. In my bioengineering endeavours in the future, my goal is to help improve the lives of both people and animals.”
We have no doubt that Shiqi and Naiara will go on to do great things for animals, people and the planet after they graduate this year, and that they will leave an inspiring legacy for the next generation of students set to take over the Meatless Monday Club, who we too look forward to working with!
The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has joined a coalition of 54 environmental and animal protection groups, conservationists and scientists in calling on the government of British Columbia to put a stop to wildlife-killing contests, after learning about three such events currently taking place in the province.
In an open letter sent to the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Doug Donaldson, our coalition expressed significant concern about the existence of contests throughout the province that are encouraging the indiscriminate killing of animals including wolves, coyotes, cougars and raccoons.
In some of these events, participants receive points for the type of animal killed and compete for a cash prize. The coalition is currently aware of three separate events, the first is a “wolf-whacking contest” hosted by Chilcotin Guns in Williams Lake; the second is a “predator tournament” hosted by the Creston Valley Rod and Gun Club; and the third is a wolf bounty being offered by the West Kootenay Outdoorsmen Club.
VHS opposes wildlife-killing contests on the grounds that they are unethical, inhumane and are not supported by science. Contest organizers claim they are protecting ungulate populations (deer, caribou, elk, etc.) by killing predators, but research shows that predator killing contests are ineffective and fail to address any root causes of decline. Instead, wildlife professionals suggest efforts should be invested in habitat protection and restoration.
These contests not only teach disrespect for wildlife through the indiscriminate killing of as many predators as possible, but they also disregard the value of individual animals, both intrinsically and as a part of the larger ecosystem.
We’re encouraging our supporters to contact their MLA and the appropriate government officials and respectfully ask that predator-killing contests be banned. Contact information can be found below. Feel free to use our coalition letter as a template for your own, but be sure to personalize your email!
Hon. Doug Donaldson – Minster of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development
Email: FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Telephone: (250) 387-6240
Hon. George Heyman – Minister of Environment & Climate Change Strategy
E-mail: ENV.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Telephone: (250) 387-1187
Fish and Wildlife – Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development
Email: FishandWildlife@gov.bc.ca
Telephone: 1-877-855-3222
The federal government has finally released the new farmed animal transport regulations, which were last revised in 1977. Alarmingly, the new rules fail to address some of the most major animal welfare concerns and offer only minor improvements to the existing, outdated regulations.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) own statistics indicate that approximately 14 million animals suffer injuries during transportation annually in Canada and almost 1.6 million are reported dead on arrival each year. The agency also noted that the existing regulations did not reflect the current science regarding the care and handling of animals and failed to align with the standards of Canada’s international trading partners.
Yet the new regulations still fall significantly short of meeting the best available science and still do not reflect other international standards. Transport is a stressful process for farmed animals and internal CFIA documents revealed that the CFIA’s original intention was to drastically reduce transport times under the new regulations. Officials also indicated in briefing notes that transport times between eight and 12 hours were ideal. But under pressure from industry lobbyists, the CFIA abandoned its own recommendations.
For example, the CFIA initially proposed a maximum of 24 hours in transport for day-old chicks, but lobbying by the meat industry led to the maximum time being changed to 72 hours under the new regulations. Similarly, maximum times for cattle changed from a proposed 28 hours to 36 and spent hens, who are deemed no longer productive for the egg industry and are incredibly vulnerable, went from a proposed maximum of 12 hours to up to 28 hours.
Meanwhile, the European Union has a maximum transport time of eight hours for most animals, while in New Zealand and Australia it ranges from 12 to 24 hours.
Shockingly, animals can still be transported in all types of weather without protection from the elements – a situation that has been increasingly making headlines in recent years, when the public encounters transported animals in distress during heat waves and cold snaps.
These “new” regulations will lead to the continued suffering of millions of animals every year across Canada. Join us in telling the federal Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. Lawrence MacAulay, that the revised transport laws are unacceptable and fail to meet not only the best available science, but also the expectations of the Canadian public.
Read the recent coalition letter from 30 animal protection organizations, advocates, experts and Members of Parliament calling for stronger federal transport regulations
Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is currently consulting Canadians on how the humaneness of pesticides to control predators (predacides) could be considered during their approval and use.
There are currently three active ingredients registered to control large vertebrate predators in Canada: sodium fluoroacetate (Compound 1080), sodium cyanide and strychnine. For the purpose of this consultation, the focus is limited to large vertebrate predators, for example, wolves, coyotes and bears.
Consultation Questions:
Should PMRA include humaneness considerations as part of the pesticide registration process for products intended to control large vertebrate predators? If so, what would be the best options and approaches for doing so?
Should PMRA develop public information, such as best practices / standards on humaneness considerations, that pesticide users could take into account when deciding whether to use a pesticide for controlling large vertebrate predators? If so, what kind of information would be most useful?
In either case, what should be the parameters to measure humaneness?
For more background information, please visit the PMRA’s homepage for the consultation.
The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has made a submission calling for humaneness to be considered in the pesticide registration process. VHS opposes the use of predacides, including sodium fluoroacetate (Compound 1080), sodium cyanide and strychnine, on the grounds that they are not only inhumane and violate animal welfare guidelines, but that they also pose an unacceptable risk to biodiversity, the environment and public safety. Therefore, we are calling on the Minister of Health and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to prohibit predacides under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Read our complete submission here.
We are encouraging our supporters to participate in this public consultation before the April18th deadline. Please feel free to use our submission as a guide, but be sure to personalize your own (duplicate submissions are discouraged).
Every winter the issue of farmed animal transport makes news headlines across the country and this winter is no exception.
Last week, during the extreme cold that hit parts of the country, CTV Toronto reported (CTV News at Noon, Jan.31, 2019, story starts at 2:45 minutes) on concerns from Toronto Pig Save advocates about the welfare of pigs being transported to Fearmans Pork slaughterhouse in Burlington in -35 degree Celsius weather.
The reality is that Canada’s federal regulations permit farmed animals to be transported for long periods of time without food, water, rest or adequate protection from extreme weather. The result is that approximately 14 million farmed animals arrive dead, dying or injured at federally inspected slaughterhouses each year.
The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) and other animal protection organizations, advocates and experts have long called on the federal Ministry of Agriculture to strengthen Canada’s archaic transport regulations, which were last updated in 1977. Finally, in December of 2016 the Ministry released draft amendments to the regulations, but these offered only minor improvements and investigations revealed the amendments were directly influenced by the livestock industry, which strongly opposes any changes.
Meanwhile, the regulations have still not been finalized and animals continue to suffer during transport.
Join us in calling on the federal government to prioritize the release of significantly improved, evidence-based transport regulations.
Contact your Member of Parliament and the federal Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. Lawrence MacAulay, and let them know this issue is important to you! See the coalition letter to the Minister as a reference (please be sure to personalize your letter) and for a complete list of signatories.
Canada’s farmed animal transport regulations are extremely archaic (dating back to 1977) and VHS, along with other animal protection organizations and concerned citizens, have long advocated for stronger regulations to better protect animal welfare.
It’s been almost a year and half since the federal government held a public consultation on its proposed amendments to the transport regulations. Disappointingly, not only were the improvements being proposed very minor, but to date the final regulations still haven’t been released.
Just recently, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) finally released its “What We Heard” report, summarizing the feedback from the public consultation. This report will be used to inform the development of the final amendments.
As heat waves continue across the country, so do the trucks transporting farmed animals long distances with no protection from the weather. This issue has made headlines this summer, with footage of overcrowded and overheated pigs in transport trucks making recent news in British Columbia and Manitoba. Shockingly, in the Manitoba case the CFIA said the load was in compliance with the regulations, and that the animals were not overcrowded for the weather conditions at the time. This despite a thermometer reading of nearly 40 C and evidence of overcrowding and heat stress.
As efforts to finalize the amended transport regulations are underway, please join us in keeping the pressure on the federal government to prioritize the release of significantly stronger transport regulations that are evidence-based, free from industry influence and that will prevent the senseless suffering showcased time and time again in transport investigations.
