Tag: Animals in entertainment

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News/Blog

Union of B.C. Municipalities calls on province to regulate mobile live animal programs and strengthen exotic animal rules

  • The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), which represents local governments across B.C., recently voted to endorse resolution NR75 – Mobile live animal programs 
  • This resolution calls on the provincial government to regulate mobile live animal programs and to strengthen exotic animal rules. 
  • Mobile live animal programs, such as travelling petting zoos, presentations and displays, or exotic animal events where animals can be purchased, are connected to animal welfare concerns and public health and safety risks. 
  • 2,450 messages were sent to UBCM delegates in support of resolution NR75. Thank you to everyone that advocated for stronger protections for animals! 

What happens next?

  • This vote signals that this issue is important to municipalities across B.C. and that provincial leadership is needed to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of animals, people, and the environment. 
  • Resolutions endorsed by the UBCM must be acknowledged and responded to by the provincial government.  
  • Help us take the next step by telling the provincial government that this issue is important to you and requires provincial leadership! 

TAKE ACTION: Add your name to the VHS’s campaign asking the provincial government to take meaningful action on this issue by implementing the UBCM’s recommendations. 

Tell the B.C. government to act!
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Exotic animals are wild animals from other countries often imported to Canada through the exotic pet trade. These animals are not domesticated, even if bred in captivity, and their welfare can suffer when sold, bred, transported, or displayed. The exotic pet trade also poses risks to the environment and public health and safety.  

Animal welfare issues

Mobile live animal programs (MLAPs) can take many forms, including travelling petting zoos, presentations, and expos where animals can be purchased. They involve the transport of animals to a location for display, public entertainment, or sale to the public, and feature a variety of different animals.

MLAPs often include exotic animals—wild animals from other countries imported to Canada—such as spiders, snakes, lizards, and tortoises.    

Animals involved in MLAPs face many animal welfare risks, including:

  • Travel to and from events
  • The public handling of animals
  • Unregulated housing and breeding practices outside of events where they may face restricted movement due to lack of space
  • Limited behavioural opportunities
  • Abnormal social groupings, such as highly social animals being housed alone
  • Exposure to unnatural environmental conditions (lighting, temperature, substrate, sounds, odours)

Environmental risks

The accidental or intentional release of exotic pets (e.g. when pets are no longer wanted but a new home cannot be found for them) can introduce invasive species to our ecosystems. Some invasive species who have impacted our local ecosystems include the red-eared slider turtle, goldfish, and American bullfrog.  

Invasive species can threaten native wildlife, compromise habitats, and spread new diseases.   

Public health & safety concerns

While the risk of disease transmission is always present when interacting with exotic animals, MLAPs increase risk due to:

  • The number of animals and variety of species
  • High amount of close human contact
  • Difficulties in following hygiene protocols (if present)

These risks are particularly prevalent at events marketed to children.

The transportation and frequent handling of animals at these events presents a significant risk factor for stress, and stressed animals may also be more likely to bite or scratch, compounding risks of disease transmission and physical harm. 

Community impacts

Escaped or released animals and the surrender of unwanted exotic pets stress already overwhelmed shelters, rescues, and veterinary services, which may not have the resources and expertise to accommodate such a wide range of exotic species.

There have been many documented instances of escaped or released exotic pets in B.C. in recent years.

Outdated regulations leave exotic animals at risk

Currently, there are no provincial regulations in place that are specific to MLAPs and there is a lack of consistent and enforceable standards for keeping, breeding, displaying, and selling exotic pets.  

B.C.’s Controlled Alien Species Regulation (CASR), introduced in 2009, has banned ownership of more than 1,000 dangerous species like tigers and venomous snakes that pose a threat to people, property, and wildlife.

However, the CASR does not address animal welfare or disease risks, making many exotic species that suffer in captivity or can spread zoonotic diseases still legal to own and trade. 

UBCM resolution NR75 – Mobile Live Animal Programs calls on the B.C. government to:

  • Regulate mobile live animal programs to address animal welfare concerns and public health and safety risks; 
  • Update the Controlled Alien Species Regulation to equally prioritize animal welfare considerations alongside public safety and prohibit the import of all exotic species.

TAKE ACTION: Add your name to the call to action to show your support for this resolution!

ADD YOUR VOICE

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News/Blog

Podcast: Hastings Racecourse announces closure in Vancouver (The Early Edition)

Hastings Racecourse announces closure in Vancouver (The Early Edition)

Chantelle Archambault from the Vancouver Humane Society discusses the closure of Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, which was announced this past Friday. Originally aired on The Early Edition from CBC News; shared on The Informed Animal Ally podcast.

All episodes

On December 5th, Hastings Racecourse announced the immediate end of horse racing at the province’s last track.

The Vancouver Humane Society’s Chantelle Archambault sat down with Stephen Quinn from The Early Edition on CBC Radio to share the VHS’s response, previous advocacy around the racetrack, and what a compassionate retirement for horses would look like. Interview shared with permission.

Call for a safe retirement for horses

Note: This written discussion has been edited for length.

Table Of Contents
  1. Hastings Racecourse closes: The VHS responds
  2. Report on Hastings Racecourse
  3. What's next for the horses?
  4. Declining public support

Hastings Racecourse closes: The VHS responds

A close up photo of a horse with a bridle.

Stephen: Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century. In fact, it’s been going there for about 130 years. The operator announced on Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.

Great Canadian Entertainment, which operates the site, described the move as an extremely difficult decision. It said the decision was made because of a lack of economic feasibility to move forward with another season of horse racing.

Now, the Vancouver Humane Society released a report earlier this year highlighting the need for public subsidies to remain operational.

And joining us now is Chantelle Archambault. She is the Communications Director of the Vancouver Humane Society. Good morning to you, Chantelle.

Chantelle: Good morning. Thank you so much for having me here.

Stephen: Thanks for being with us. Your reaction to the news on Friday that the race course is shutting down after being operational for well over a century?

Chantelle: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, on on the one hand, we’re so grateful for this step toward a future where animals aren’t bred for use risky entertainment activities like horse racing.

The Vancouver Humane Society has been advocating for an end to horse racing at Hastings for many years, given the animal welfare concerns associated with the industry.

And at the same time, we recognize that it brings quite a lot of uncertainty for those connected to the horse racing industry.

We’re very hopeful that all parties, regardless of their perspective on horse racing, share a common priority of ensuring that every horse currently involved in racing is provided with safe, secure, compassionate retirement.

That’s why we’re encouraging both the provincial government and industry stakeholders to prioritize meaningfully supporting both workers and animals in transitioning away from horse racing,

Report on Hastings Racecourse

Stephen: Your organization commissioned a report earlier this year on the history of the Vancouver Hastings Racecourse. What were some of the key findings of that report?

Chantelle: We looked at both the economic and animal welfare impacts of racing.

We found that there were decades of decline at Vancouver’s Hasting Racecourse, and the track was relying on public subsidies to remain operational.

It outlines that there was decline in attendance, revenue, race days.

  • The race days went down from about 150 a year in the 1980s to about 45 planned for 2025.
  • Attendance has collapsed from about 1.1 million people in 1982 to about 150,000 in 2022.
  • In 2023 and 2024, the horse racing industry received about $9 million from slot machining revenue to keep it running.

So there’s been a heavy reliance on public funds to keep this industry going.

And the report also, of course, highlighted the risks that horses face in racing. At least 14 horses died at Hastings in 2023. In 2024, the fatality rate was 1.78 deaths per 1000 starts, which is well above the industry average and nearly double the rate at tracks that have stronger safety rules.

So given that, the racing industry really no longer aligns with the City of Vancouver’s priorities for public access, sustainability, economic resilience. We were recommending an end to horse racing at Hastings Park when the current operating agreement for the racetrack expires, which would have been in 2026.

Stephen: I’m sure the people who work at the track and work with horses would say that they certainly do their best to ensure the health of horses and to make sure that they stay healthy, do they not?

Chantelle: I absolutely am sure they do. It’s impossible to work with animals and not love them and care for them.

But the reality is that there were so many deaths at this track that it seems like it’s an inevitable, inherent part of the racing industry.

What’s next for the horses?

A white horse running in a fenced area

Stephen: So what will happen then to the horses now that they’re no longer competing at the racetrack?

Chantelle: It’s a great question. A responsible transition plan really means developing clear, transparent retirement pathways for every horce that’s racing.

Horses are only able to race for a fraction of their natural lifespan, so this should be a baked in part of the industry, and we are hopeful that it is. Under normal circumstances, any industry that relies on animals should already have a well-developed safety net and in place for animals who age out of the industry.

From our perspective, a good outcome would be for the horses to move out of the racing industry into an environment where they can have positive experiences, bonds, and the freedom to express their natural behaviors.

So some examples of that would be retiring to a sanctuary or therapy horses, in a setting where they can regularly have time to run free.

Declining public support

Stephen: Chantelle, is this something you see just happening here in the Lower Mainland or in British Columbia, or are we seeing a decline in in horse racing operations across North America?

Chantelle: We really only have been looking very closely at British Columbia, but I have heard whisperings that there there is a wider decline across the industry as a whole.

There’s decreasing public support for this industry. I think it’s clear that people are seeing across multiple industries that use animals and put them at risk like this, that there is a decline in public support as people learn more about animal welfare and animal sentience and learn that animals are beings who can feel pain, feel fear, feel stress, and care about their lives.

Stephen: Chantelle, we’ll leave it there this morning. Thank you so much for taking the time. We appreciate it.

Chantelle: Thank you so much for having me.

Stephen: That is Chantelle Archambault, who is the Communications Director at the Vancouver Humane Society, talking about the end of horse racing at Hastings Park after 130 years, and what will happen to the horses and all of the people who work with those horses as well.

Categories
Opinion

Why I stopped riding in horse carriages—and started advocating against them

Article originally published in the Daily Hive. Written by Nadia Xenakis, Campaign Manager at the Vancouver Humane Society.

I stopped riding in horse carriages and started advocating against them | Urbanized

Horse carriages are a popular tourist activity, particularly around the holidays. The experience for the horses is less than ideal.

Read & comment
Learn more & take action

My earliest memories of loving animals include coming home from kindergarten and watching a family of California quails in my grandmother’s backyard for hours, mystified by their sounds and quick movements. No neighbourhood cat went a day without hearing ‘hello’ and receiving a pat.  

Like many people who love animals, I sought to be as close to them as possible. Throughout childhood, my family would happily indulge my love of animals by taking me to see them at places like our local zoo, aquarium and to swim with dolphins during our family vacation.  

I watched elephants in their enclosures blanketed by Canadian snow, caimans unmoving and unblinking while fellow children screamed and slapped the glass of their enclosure, and dolphins brought into a small pool and instructed to remain still so we could touch them. Meanwhile, a tight discomfort formed in my chest. I was in awe of their shapes and abilities, but I could neither ignore nor understand the growing tension I felt.  

When I was 18, my then-boyfriend arranged for us to take a holiday horse carriage ride—the perfect gift for an animal lover. I remember being excited to meet the horses; but when I saw the enormous ornate costumes they wore to carry us through the city, the familiar tension returned. That apprehension turned to guilt as frustrated drivers whipped around the carriage when we moved too slowly or were stopped for too long. We maneuvered through the street amidst cars speeding past in every direction, cyclists and pedestrians crossing intersections, and the growing sound of honking, yelling, dogs barking, and music from shops lining the street.  

What was intended to be a relaxing holiday experience left me in a state of constant anxiety while I scanned the roads for hazards that could harm the horses or others. When the ride was over, I felt relief as I walked away. The horses in their feathered headpieces were not so lucky, I realized, as I watched the next set of riders step into the carriage.  

The horses consumed my thoughts all evening: where did they stay when they weren’t working? How long did they work? Did accidents happen; and if so, how often? Did they want to be there, and how could we know if they did or did not?  

I studied animal welfare science in university, where researchers tried to answer questions like these by measuring stress in animals, evaluating their environments and lifestyles, using preference tests to attempt to determine the choices animals would make if able to choose freely.  

This led to a career in animal advocacy. By this time, I understood that my love of animals had led me to seek to be close to them in ways that either put animals at risk or actively caused them harm or stress, through activities the animals had never consented to. I also understood that I was probably not the only person to reckon with this feeling. 

I now advocate to end many things I participated in throughout my life, before I had the foresight to consider the animals’ perspective.  

This holiday season, I implore fellow animal lovers to consider the experience of animals before choosing to participate in activities, to listen to feelings of discomfort, and to show your love of animals by working toward a world that is kinder for them. You can do this by donating to non-profits that advocate for them if you are able to, or becoming an advocate yourself by signing up for email alerts to take action for animals.  

If you share the feelings or concerns that I felt on my holiday horse carriage ride, the Vancouver Humane Society is currently asking the City of Vancouver to remove horse-drawn carriages from busy city streets. It’s not too late to add your voice.  

Thank you for making this holiday season one of safety and compassion for all.  

Learn more & take action
Categories
News/Blog

VHS responds to Hastings Racecourse announcement of end to horse racing

A horse at rest in a paddock

The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has learned that Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending horse racing effective immediately. This announcement follows recent government funding changes, including an end to casino slot machine revenue being provided to the horse racing industry, and declining attendance, shrinking revenues, and increasing animal welfare concerns in recent years.  

A VHS-commissioned report released earlier this year highlighted decades of decline at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse and its dependence on public subsidies to remain operational. The report also raised concerns about the welfare of horses used in racing. Recent data illustrates the serious risks horses face. At Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse, at least 14 horses have died since 2023. According to the B.C. Gaming & Policy Enforcement Branch, the 2024 fatality rate at Hastings reached 1.78 deaths per 1,000 starts, which is markedly higher than the North American industry average of 1.11 and nearly double the rate at tracks operating under stronger safety regulations (0.90). 

This announcement marks a milestone toward a future in which animals are not bred, used, and put at risk for entertainment. At the same time, the VHS recognizes the uncertainty the decision creates for the people and animals currently connected to B.C.’s horse racing industry. 

While perspectives on horse racing vary, we hope all parties share a common priority: ensuring that every horse currently involved in racing is provided with a safe, secure, and compassionate retirement. We encourage the provincial government and industry stakeholders to provide support for both workers and animals alike in transitioning away from the horse racing industry. 

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News/Blog

Time for change: tell Calgary’s new Mayor and Council to end rodeo and chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede

  • Nearly every year, animals continue to be injured or killed in dangerous rodeo and chuckwagon events at the Calgary Stampede.
  • At least 110 animals have died at the Calgary Stampede since 1986, an astonishing average of one death every 3.5 days of competition.
  • The Vancouver Humane Society is urging Calgary’s newly elected Mayor and Council to remove the chuckwagon races and rodeo events from the annual Stampede program.

TAKE ACTION:

Step 1: Tell Calgary’s NEW Mayor and Council to remove these inhumane and deadly animal events from the Stampede program. 

Step 2: Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge to reflect your opposition to the use of animals in rodeo events.

Send a Message
Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge
Learn More

Email Calgary’s Mayor and Council 

#SayNoToRodeo at the Calgary Stampede

Check out RodeoTruth.com for more information about the rodeo and chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede. This public awareness project is a collaboration between the Vancouver Humane Society and concerned Calgarians.  

To keep spreading the word about why the Calgary Stampede should buck inhumane animal events, follow RodeoTruth on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok and share the posts.

Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur, We Animals

What happened at the 2025 Calgary Stampede?

  • A horse named Rider suffered a fracture to his left-front cannon bone during a chuckwagon race and was euthanized.    
  • Video clips show the risk of injury to animals, such as a steer who was flipped over and whose neck was repeatedly twisted. Last year, a steer used in steer wrestling was euthanized due to a serious neck injury. 
  • Footage also shows people at risk of injury, including children. 
  • Animals are hit and roughly handled. In one clip, a handler uses a rope to agitate a bull’s neck while another person behind the scenes calls the bull obscene names. 
  • Animals show signs of fear and stress, including widened eyes, tense open mouths, excessive salivation, thrashing in chutes, panicked behaviours, and resisting handlers. 

Content warning: The following footage shows a fatal incident and animals showing signs of stress and fear.   

Animals pay the price for “entertainment” at the 2025 Calgary Stampede

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Stress, suffering & risk of injury or death in rodeo events

  • Calf roping: Calves are chased, roped by the neck, abruptly stopped, and thrown to the ground, which can cause neck injuries, bruising, and stress. 
  • Steer wrestling: Steers have their necks twisted and are slammed to the ground, risking serious injury. 
  • Bucking events: Bulls and horses are fitted with flank straps and spurred to provoke bucking, a reaction caused by discomfort and fear. 
  • Chuckwagon races: High-speed collisions and crashes often result in catastrophic injuries and death. 
  • In 2025, a horse was euthanized after a serious leg injury in the chuckwagon races. 
  • In 2024, four animals died: three horses during chuckwagon races and one steer whose neck was broken in a steer wrestling event. 

Despite efforts to improve safety, animal fatalities continue almost every year, demonstrating that these events are inherently dangerous. 

Tools & practices that cause distress

  • Flank straps and spurs are used to provoke animals into fleeing and bucking. 
  • Animals often show visible signs of fear and stress: wide eyes, drooling, open mouths, vocalizations, and defecation. 
  • Rodeo footage often shows rough handling — hitting, kicking, tail twisting, and ear pulling. 

The Vancouver Humane Society is urging the newly elected City of Calgary Mayor and Council to remove rodeo and chuckwagon events from the Calgary Stampede program by collaborating with Stampede organizers or implementing bylaws to prohibit harmful events. Cities like Vancouver, Port Moody, and the District of North Vancouver have already banned rodeos. 

Public opposition to rodeo is growing 

  • A 2022 Research Co. poll found removing rodeo and chuckwagon events would have little to no effect on Stampede attendance. 
  • 61% of Canadians and 49% of Albertans opposed the use of animals in rodeo (2022). 
  • By 2023, opposition grew to 67% of Canadians and 53% of Albertans. 
  • 2024 polls showed majorities of Calgarians oppose calf roping, steer wrestling, bronc riding, and chuckwagon racing. 
  • 67% of Calgarians now oppose government funding for rodeos. (2024)

The Future of the Stampede 

The Calgary Stampede has evolved over the decades to incorporate other attractions, including a large art festival; Indigenous performers and artists at the Elbow River Camp; the Midway rides and games; and live music featuring today’s top bands and local musicians. 

  • It’s time to embrace a cruelty-free future that brings people together without animal suffering. 
  • Removing these harmful events would align the Stampede with modern values of compassion and respect for animals. 

Together, We Can Make a Difference

📢 Call on Calgary’s NEW Mayor and City Council to end rodeo and chuckwagon events at the Stampede! 

Together, we can ensure the Calgary Stampede continues as an exciting celebration, without cruelty. 

TAKE ACTION

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News/Blog

B.C. Government ends slot machine funding for horse racing

  • As of January 31, 2026, the B.C. Government will no longer provide casino slot machine revenue to the horse racing industry.
  • This marks a meaningful step toward phasing out an industry that has long depended on government funding, despite declining public interest, shrinking revenues, and ongoing concerns about the welfare of horses used in racing.
  • The VHS welcomes this progress while acknowledging the uncertainty for those currently involved in the horse racing industry.
  • Government and industry are urged to prioritize a safe, compassionate retirement for all horses and to support both workers and animals through the industry’s transition.
Read the news
Read the report
Welfare concerns

Province to cut slot machine revenue for Hastings Racecourse

The cut signals what may be another nail in the coffin for B.C’s last horse track.

“Even with continued government investment from casino-generated revenue, the industry is not sustainable due to declining revenues, public participation and attendance, a letter from the province reads.”

“Government officials said the amount of slot machine income that went to the horse racing industry was about $8 to $10 million annually.”

What will happen to the horse racing industry?

While media reports state that it is unknown whether the 2026 horse racing season will go forward, statements from industry stakeholders and the B.C. government observe that declining revenues and public attendance make horse racing unsustainable in the province.

A recent VHS report outlines the high racing-related fatality rate, including at least 14 horse deaths since 2023, and the long-term decline in attendance and revenue at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse. The report recommends that the City of Vancouver end horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Park when the current Operating Agreement expires in 2026. 

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Slot machine revenue for Hastings Racecourse will be pulled just months before the racetrack’s lease ends with the City of Vancouver in 2026.

More than 1,500 advocates have already signed a petition calling for the lease to not be renewed, supporting an end to horse racing at B.C.’s last racetrack.

Petition

Why has the VHS been raising awareness about horse racing?

Deaths at Vancouver racecourse

Hastings Racecourse has seen a concerning pattern of horse deaths, including eight in 2023, four in 2024, and at least two between April and June 2025. In 2024, the rate of horse deaths at Hastings was 1.78 per 1,000 starts—much higher than the industry average of 1.11 and nearly double that of tracks under stricter safety rules (0.90).

Early start, lifelong harm

Most horses start training and/or racing at just 2 years old, before their bones are fully developed. This puts them at high risk for serious injuries and early decline. Thoroughbred horses are often overbred for speed rather than skeletal strength, making their legs susceptible to fatal injury. 

Painful & stressful practices

Horses often endure harsh training methods and uncomfortable equipment, like whips and tight mouth bits, that can cause stress and pain.

Categories
News/Blog

UPDATE: UBCM Executive to vote on mobile live animal programs & exotic pet regulations

Success!

After 2,450 messages were sent to speak up for exotic animals and mobile live animal programs, the UBCM Executive voted to endorse resolution NR75! Please see the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help exotic animals, including asking the B.C. government to act on the UBCM’s call for change.

  • In September, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), which represents local governments across B.C., held its annual convention.
  • A resolution brought forward called on the B.C. government to regulate mobile live animal programs – such as mobile petting zoos and exotic pet expos – and strengthen rules for keeping exotic (non-native, non-domesticated) species.
  • More than 1,000 B.C. residents wrote to their local governments, urging them to support resolution NR75 — Mobile Live Animal Programs.
  • UBCM members ran out of time to vote on resolution NR75 during the convention.
  • The resolution will now be considered by the UBCM Executive at their quarterly meeting on November 12-14.

TAKE ACTION: Add your name to the VHS’s campaign urging the UBCM President & Executive to support protections for animals used in mobile live animal programs and to call for stronger provincial safeguards for exotic animals kept, sold, bred, or traded as pets.

Tell UBCM Executive to vote YES to NR75
Learn More

This action has now ended.

2,450 messages were sent using the quick action tool to support UBCM resolution NR75. Thank you for taking action.

See more campaigns

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Exotic animals are wild animals from other countries often imported to Canada through the exotic pet trade. These animals are not domesticated, even if bred in captivity, and their welfare can suffer when sold, bred, transported, or displayed. The exotic pet trade also poses risks to the environment and public health and safety.  

Animal welfare issues

Mobile live animal programs (MLAPs) can take many forms, including travelling petting zoos, presentations, and expos where animals can be purchased. They involve the transport of animals to a location for display, public entertainment, or sale to the public, and feature a variety of different animals.

MLAPs often include exotic animals—wild animals from other countries imported to Canada—such as spiders, snakes, lizards, and tortoises.    

Animals involved in MLAPs face many animal welfare risks, including:

  • Travel to and from events
  • The public handling of animals
  • Unregulated housing and breeding practices outside of events where they may face restricted movement due to lack of space
  • Limited behavioural opportunities
  • Abnormal social groupings, such as highly social animals being housed alone
  • Exposure to unnatural environmental conditions (lighting, temperature, substrate, sounds, odours)

Environmental risks

The accidental or intentional release of exotic pets (e.g. when pets are no longer wanted but a new home cannot be found for them) can introduce invasive species to our ecosystems. Some invasive species who have impacted our local ecosystems include the red-eared slider turtle, goldfish, and American bullfrog.  

Invasive species can threaten native wildlife, compromise habitats, and spread new diseases.   

Public health & safety concerns

While the risk of disease transmission is always present when interacting with exotic animals, MLAPs increase risk due to:

  • The number of animals and variety of species
  • High amount of close human contact
  • Difficulties in following hygiene protocols (if present)

These risks are particularly prevalent at events marketed to children.

The transportation and frequent handling of animals at these events presents a significant risk factor for stress, and stressed animals may also be more likely to bite or scratch, compounding risks of disease transmission and physical harm. 

Community impacts

Escaped or released animals and the surrender of unwanted exotic pets stress already overwhelmed shelters, rescues, and veterinary services, which may not have the resources and expertise to accommodate such a wide range of exotic species.

There have been many documented instances of escaped or released exotic pets in B.C. in recent years.

Outdated regulations leave exotic animals at risk

Currently, there are no provincial regulations in place that are specific to MLAPs and there is a lack of consistent and enforceable standards for keeping, breeding, displaying, and selling exotic pets.  

B.C.’s Controlled Alien Species Regulation (CASR), introduced in 2009, has banned ownership of more than 1,000 dangerous species like tigers and venomous snakes that pose a threat to people, property, and wildlife.

However, the CASR does not address animal welfare or disease risks, making many exotic species that suffer in captivity or can spread zoonotic diseases still legal to own and trade. 

UBCM resolution NR75 – Mobile Live Animal Programs calls on the B.C. government to:

  • Regulate mobile live animal programs to address animal welfare concerns and public health and safety risks; 
  • Update the Controlled Alien Species Regulation to equally prioritize animal welfare considerations alongside public safety, and prohibit the import, keeping, breeding and transport of all exotic species. 

TAKE ACTION: Sign the letter to show your support for this resolution!

ADD YOUR VOICE
Categories
News/Blog

The VHS continues to speak out against inhumane rodeo events

This summer, the VHS planned a billboard and radio ad campaign in Calgary to raise awareness about animal welfare issues during the Stampede. Disappointingly, just before launch, the ad agencies cancelled the campaign, blocking any messaging about animal welfare.

But the VHS didn’t stay silent. We shared with the media about the censorship of animal welfare messages, supported local advocates by providing outreach materials at protests and events around the city, and ran an in-depth online ad campaign to ensure the animals’ voices were heard.

Sadly, a horse named Rider suffered a leg injury during a chuckwagon race and was euthanized, marking 110 known animal deaths at the Calgary Stampede since the VHS began tracking fatalities in 1986.

Content warning: The following video shows footage of animal suffering in rodeo events.

Meanwhile, the VHS’s advocacy for animals used in rodeo continued in our home province. In B.C., for the second year in a row, the VHS filmed inhumane and potentially illegal use of electric prods and rough handling of animals at the Coombs rodeo. A cruelty complaint has again been filed and the BC SPCA has opened an investigation.

The VHS continues to call on decision-makers in Alberta and B.C. to end inhumane rodeo events and government funding of them.

Learn more about rodeo
Categories
News/Blog

Vancouver park board staff considers removing horse carriages from Stanley Park

  • A recent report from Vancouver park board staff includes a consideration for removing “animal-powered transportation” from Stanley Park.
  • For years, the VHS has called for the removal of horse-drawn carriages from the park.
  • The use of carriages in crowded urban environments poses a risk to horses and the public. Horses endure regular exposure to traffic, noise and pollution; long hours of standing and walking on hard surfaces; and hard labour under sometimes extreme weather conditions.
  • Other jurisdictions, such as the City of Montreal, have banned horse-drawn carriages due to animal welfare concerns and incidents.

Read media coverage on the report and the VHS’s campaign below. Stay tuned for updates!

Six-storey parkade among ideas for Stanley Park’s future

Park board staff are giving commissioners dozens of options to manage traffic in the park

“Vancouver park board commissioners will be asked to weigh up dozens of possible options to reduce the number of cars entering Stanley Park each year.”

“The document includes an option for removing ‘animal-powered transportation’ in the park.”

“The Vancouver Humane Society has a campaign to have the Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Tours business removed from the park.”

“‘Being surrounded by motor vehicle traffic forces horses to inhale toxic exhaust and causes them mental distress, which can make the animals unpredictable and potentially dangerous to park pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles,’ the society states.”

Read article
Contact the Park Board
Categories
News/Blog

Coombs rodeo event results in cruelty complaint for second year in a row 

  • The VHS has once again filed a cruelty complaint with the BC SPCA after new footage from the 2025 Bulls, Broncs & Barrels rodeo event in Coombs revealed troubling treatment of animals for the second year in a row. 
  • This year’s footage captures potentially illegal use of electric prods on bulls; stressed and agitated animals being harshly handled; and an injury to a horse who rears up in the bucking chute and lands on the structure, resulting in a bloody wound. 

TAKE ACTION: Join the VHS in calling for an end to inhumane rodeo events and to stop B.C. government funding that supports them.

Take action
Video footage
Learn more

Call on the B.C. government to prohibit inhumane rodeo events and to stop using taxpayer dollars to support them.

Disturbing footage shows improper electric prod use, rough handling at Coombs rodeo

Animal welfare concerns at Coombs rodeo event, 2025

The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has filed a cruelty complaint with the BC SPCA after new footage from last weekend’s Bulls, Broncs & Barrels rodeo event in Coombs revealed potentially illegal use of electric prods and other animal welfare concerns.

Footage: Suzanne Goodwin

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Repeat concerns over electric prod use 

Last year’s Coombs rodeo event drew a cruelty complaint after footage showed potentially illegal electric prod use on bulls and inhumane handling of a fallen horse. Disturbingly, new footage from this year shows similar issues. 

Videos show bulls being shocked with an electric prod in ways that appear to violate Canadian animal handling regulations. These regulations prohibit: 

  • Repeated prodding of the same animal. 
  • Prodding animals who cannot move due to barriers such as overcrowded pens or blocked chutes. 

Footage from the 2025 event appears to show both of these rules being broken. 

The device used—believed to be a Hot-Shot Power-Mite—can deliver shocks of 4,500 volts. 

Stressed animals, injury, and rough handling 

Additional footage from the Coombs rodeo event highlights visibly stressed animals. Clips show animals thrashing in tight chutes, rearing up, and resisting handlers. 

A bull is seen laying on the ground following a bucking event and is then kicked and pulled by the tail and ropes until he rises. 

Two horses rear up out of the bucking chute and crash into metal posts. One of the horses appears to sustain a wound, with bloody abrasions visible on both days of the event.

Show photos of horse injuries
Saturday, August 16 at Coombs rodeo event.
Sunday, August 17 at Coombs rodeo event.

Calls for change at Ministry of Tourism

These recurring concerns underscore the urgent need for change.  

The VHS has written to the B.C. Ministry of Tourism to express concerns about public funding, provided through the B.C. Fairs, Festivals and Events (BCFFE) fund, to events that include rodeos. In 2023 and 2024, $780,000+ and $680,000+ were awarded to events that include rodeo, respectively.    

Another Ministry of Tourism funding program, the Destination Events Program, lists rodeos as an event eligible for funding.  

Provincial government must protect animals used in rodeo

The VHS has also raised concerns with provincial decision-makers about the overall lack of protections for animals used in rodeos, pointing to previous footage of various rodeos across B.C. and to the failure to enforce animal protection laws that prohibit causing distress. 

The VHS is calling for an end to inhumane rodeo events and urging B.C.’s Ministry of Tourism to exclude rodeos from publicly funded grant programs. 

By investing in compassionate and inclusive community events, the province can ensure public funds are directed toward celebrations that bring people together without putting animals at risk of harm. 

Public opposition to rodeo events & funding 

Research Co. polling shows a growing majority of British Columbians are opposed to the use of animals in rodeo events and to taxpayer dollars being used to support rodeo events. 

Take action: Help end cruel rodeo practices in B.C. by contacting the B.C. government today. 

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