We are saddened to share the news of the passing of Ingrid Pollak, founder of the Vancouver Humane Society. Ingrid was a courageous advocate and a powerful voice for animals for decades. We are honoured to share this tribute to her life and her tireless efforts to protect animals and inspire others to do the same.
Ingrid’s compassion for animals began early in life. Growing up in Germany, she once told friends about seeing flies trapped on flypaper and climbing onto a chair as a child to try to rescue them. That instinct to protect vulnerable animals never left her.
Her public advocacy began in Vancouver around 1981, when she worked on issues related to stray cat overpopulation and the need for spay and neuter programs. In the late 1980s, she was elected to the board of the Vancouver branch of the BC SPCA, where she advocated for reforms to policies around adoption and the euthanasia of homeless animals. Frustrated with the pace of change, Ingrid left the SPCA and brought together other animal advocates to form the Vancouver Humane Alert Society in 1984, which later became the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS). She once described the organization to the media as “like a union for animals. When animals come into conflict with people, we always side with the animals.”
Ingrid quickly became a driving force for animal protection in Vancouver. She led the campaign to close the Stanley Park Zoo in the 1990s, using creative and attention grabbing strategies to raise public awareness. One of her most memorable actions involved driving around Vancouver in a pickup truck with a stuffed bear inside a large metal cage in the truck bed while distributing leaflets about the plight of captive animals. In 1993, Vancouver voters chose by a 54 percent majority to close the zoo after a campaign rooted in the belief that wild animals should not be kept primarily for public entertainment.
She was fearless in confronting cruelty wherever it occurred. In 2012, Ingrid attempted to obtain a legal injunction to save the life of Sniffy the rat when an “artist” threatened to kill the animal in front of an art gallery audience. Circuses and rodeos were also major targets of her advocacy, particularly the Cloverdale Rodeo. Ingrid helped spark the movement that ultimately led to circuses with performing exotic animals being prohibited in most areas of British Columbia. When the Shrine Circus attempted to evade Vancouver’s 1992 bylaw banning exotic animal performances by keeping tigers and bears in transport trucks because they were not technically “performing,” Ingrid exposed the situation by marching up to the trucks with media present and opening the doors.
Her advocacy extended to many other issues. She helped local media uncover that the Vancouver Game Farm (now the Greater Vancouver Zoo) was allowing deer to breed and then shooting the offspring when there were too many animals. From challenging turtle races and the hunting of exhausted migratory birds, to speaking out about the suffering of animals on factory farms and responding to calls about abandoned litters of kittens, Ingrid confronted cruelty wherever she found it, even when it involved powerful institutions.
Ingrid also travelled widely to share knowledge and learn from other advocates, attending animal protection conferences across the United States and Eastern Canada. She collaborated with organizations across North America and beyond, freely sharing resources and working together to advance protections for animals.
“I don’t love animals, I respect them. They are our cousins. They have blood, nerves, a brain. We don’t always understand them and they don’t always understand us, but we are related. People assume I must ‘love’ animals, but no, I respect them.” -Ingrid Pollak, shared with the VHS fundraising team
Ingrid Pollak was a formidable force for animals, and the Vancouver Humane Society stands as part of her enduring legacy.
Continuing Ingrid’s legacy
The work Ingrid began more than four decades ago continues today through advocacy, education, and direct support for animals and the people who care for them. One meaningful way supporters can help ensure that this work continues long into the future is through legacy giving.
By leaving a gift in your will to the Vancouver Humane Society, you can help carry forward Ingrid’s vision of a kinder world for animals. A bequest allows future generations to benefit from the advocacy and programs that protect animals from cruelty and create lasting change. Legacy gifts help ensure that the work Ingrid started many years ago will continue for many years to come.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who honours Ingrid’s memory by supporting animals and the mission she helped build.
To find out more about leaving a gift in your will to help animals, visit: https://vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca/leave-a-legacy or call 604-266-1012.
To make a donation in Ingrid’s memory visit: https://vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca/donate-in-memory-and-in-honour/.