Scientists hope understanding coyote widowhood will someday help humans in their own grief.
New research around coyote bonds and behaviours shows that coyotes experience grief over the loss of a partner.
A 2012 study previously found that coyotes select one mate for life, offering more evidence of complex social relationships between these animals.
A new study from Rachel Tong and Sara Freeman finds even more evidence of complex emotions tied to these social bonds: coyotes who experience the loss of a partner show the same stress signals in their brains that we see in human grief.
Though it may seem clear to many through common sense and observation that animals experience strong bonds, scientific research like this helps to grow public awareness of animal sentience, which can in turn support stronger protections for animals.
According to the National Geographic article on the study, “Freeman hopes her work can help build compassion for coyotes, which are often regarded as pests and targeted in wildlife killing contests and by frustrated landowners.”
Parrots are one of the most popular pets in Canada, but animal rescues say there aren’t enough resources to support the birds that can often outlive their owners.
Experts are warning of a growing crisis around the care of aging parrots in Canada, a recent CTV News story warns.
Parrots are exotic, undomesticated animals with complex needs who can live up to 80 years or longer. This means they often outlive their original guardians, or the circumstances that enabled a family to care for them.
A rescue in Ontario is pointing to a large demand for rescue services for birds who were bred and sold in the 70’s and 80’s. Still, parrots continue to be bred and imported for the pet trade, exacerbating the long-term strain on a system that is already struggling to keep up.
The VHS and animal allies are calling on the B.C. government to update the Controlled Alien Species regulation to prioritize animal welfare when determining which species can be kept, bred, and traded, and supporting a ban on the import of exotic species whose complex needs cannot be fully met in human care.
After more than four decades in captivity, a loggerhead sea turtle named Jorge is finally swimming free—an outcome that once seemed almost impossible. His story, shared earlier this year in the National Geographic, highlights both the power of public advocacy and the deep, lasting harms that captive display can cause to wild animals.
Here’s how Jorge the sea turtle prepared for the improbable journey-decades after he was found tangled in a fishing net off the coast of Argentina.
A remarkable return after 41 years in captivity
Jorge was rescued as a young turtle in 1984 after becoming tangled in fishing nets off the coast of Argentina. Instead of being rehabilitated and returned to the ocean—a practice that was uncommon at the time—he was sent hundreds of miles inland to an aquarium in Mendoza. There, he spent more than half his life in a shallow tank, far from the ocean, fed an unnatural diet, and deprived of the complex conditions sea turtles need to thrive.
For decades, Jorge became a local celebrity. But as awareness grew about the impacts of captivity on wild animals, public concern grew as well. Eventually, more than 60,000 people signed a petition calling for Jorge’s release, and environmental lawyers filed a lawsuit to push for his return to the sea.
That advocacy worked.
In 2021, a coalition of researchers, veterinarians, and conservation institutions began a careful three-year rehabilitation process to determine whether Jorge could survive in the wild. Through gradual reintroduction to saltwater, live prey, ocean-like temperatures, and currents, Jorge relearned skills he had almost lost. In April 2025, at roughly 60 years old, he was released into the Atlantic Ocean.
It was his first time swimming freely in open water in four decades.
Satellite tracking showed Jorge travelling north toward the warm waters of Brazil, the region he knew as a young turtle. Against the odds, he is navigating currents, hunting, resting, and behaving like a wild sea turtle once again.
Jorge’s story shows advocacy can change animals’ lives
Jorge’s freedom did not happen by accident. It happened because tens of thousands of people spoke up, signed petitions, applied legal pressure, and refused to accept that lifelong captivity was the only option for a healthy wild animal.
This is a powerful reminder that advocacy matters. Public voices can influence policy decisions, challenge outdated practices, and create opportunities for animals who have long been denied their natural lives. Without sustained public pressure, Jorge would likely still be swimming in circles in a shallow tank instead of enjoying his freedom in his home waters.
Captive display prevents wild animals from thriving
As hopeful as Jorge’s story is, it also underscores a sobering reality: captivity prevented him from living as a sea turtle for most of his life.
During his decades in confinement, Jorge lost essential survival instincts. He did not know how to hunt, navigate open waters, or respond to other animals in his environment. His rehabilitation required years of intensive, expert intervention—resources that are rarely available for most captive animals.
Captive wildlife are unable to engage in many natural behaviours that are crucial to their physical, social and psychological well-being. Even well-intentioned facilities struggle to replicate the vast space, social complexity, sensory stimulation, and choice that animals experience in the wild.
As Jorge’s case shows, captivity can strip animals of the skills they need to survive, leaving them dependent on human care.
Most captive animals will never return to the wild
Jorge is an exception, not the rule.
Many animals who are kept in captivity for long periods are not releasable. Animals accustomed to human interaction, proximity, and feeding often lose their fear of people, struggle to forage independently, or lack the social and survival skills needed in the wild. This is especially true for animals bred in captivity, who may never have learned natural behaviours at all.
Once wild instincts are lost, release can be dangerous or fatal for animals. This is why prevention matters so deeply.
The most effective way to ensure wild animals remain wild is to stop keeping and breeding wild, exotic animals in captivity in the first place. Rather than continuing systems that breed or import animals who cannot be released, we must shift toward models that prioritize animal well-being.
That means transitioning zoos and aquariums away from permanent display of wild animals and toward sanctuary-based models that focus on rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured or displaced native wildlife. Sanctuaries exist to serve animals—not to use them as attractions—and they recognize that freedom, not entertainment, is the ultimate goal.
Jorge’s journey is inspiring, but it should not distract us from the larger truth it reveals. No animal should have to spend 40+ years in captivity before we finally ask if a small enclosure is the best place for them to thrive.
His story shows us what can happen when advocacy succeeds, and why we must work to ensure fewer animals need such extraordinary intervention again.
Wild animals belong in the wild, and protecting them starts with the choices we make today.
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.
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)
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.
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!
This petition is now closed. Thank you to everyone who signed and spoke up for animals. Please go to this page for current campaigns.
Each year in Canada, 3 to 5 million animals, like beagles, rabbits and mice, are used in scientific research and toxicity testing, as reported by the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
In 2024, nearly 100,000 animals were subjected to procedures causing severe pain or distress.
There is growing evidence to suggest that animal studies fail to reliably predict human outcomes.
Despite the urgent need for better, more human-relevant science, Canada’s progress has been slow.
When you sign an official federal e-petition, you’ll get an email asking you to confirm your signature. Your signature doesn’t count until you click that confirmation link.
Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur + Media Roger Kingbird / We Animals.
Why change is needed
Despite Canada committing to reduce animal testing for chemical safety in 2022, and a 2025 federal strategy under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) to replace, reduce, or refine the use of vertebrate animals in toxicity testing, the strategy does not include targets, timelines or dedicated funding.
A coordinated national effort to transition away from animal models;
Measurable targets to reduce animal use in research and regulatory testing (50% reduction by 2030, full replacement where feasible by 2035);
Sustainable federal funding to establish a national centre to lead the transition to animal-free research and testing;
A mandate to prioritize non-animal methods, with replacement as the default;
Federally recognize non-animal methods as the standard by amending federal laws and regulations;
Establish mandatory public reporting on non-animal method adoption rates, federal funding, and animal use in public and private sectors.
Public support for humane science
Canada is falling behind countries like the United States and those in the European Union, which have developed strategies and investments in new methods that do not use animals. Canadians overwhelmingly agree that it’s time for Canada to catch up.
83% of Canadians believe that whenever modern scientific alternatives are available, they should be used instead of subjecting animals to painful experiments;1
On average, Canadians rate the importance of considering animal welfare in research decisions at an 8 out of 10, reflecting strong public concern for the treatment of animals used in science;2
When asked how important it is to find effective alternatives to the use of animals in science and medicine, Canadians gave an average score of 7.7 out of 10.2
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.
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)
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.
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!
Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jcotten?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Joshua J. Cotten</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-short-fur-cat-O4k8wcUV964?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Unsplash</a>
Thanks to your support, the VHS has been speaking up for some of B.C.’s most vulnerable animals: those used in mobile live animal programs and kept as exotic pets.
Mobile animal programs, which include travelling petting zoos and expos, often involve transporting animals like snakes, lizards, and tortoises for prolonged periods, housing them in barren containers, and handling them frequently. These stressful conditions raise serious concerns for animal welfare.
In September, more than 1,300 caring advocates like you took action through a VHS campaign, urging their local leaders to support a resolution calling for provincial regulations on these programs. The resolution, introduced by Port Moody, was brought to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM).
The resolution did not go to vote and will be moving to the UBCM Executive Committee. The VHS team continues to advocate for a positive outcome on this important item.
The VHS also supported a proposed provincial ban on the sale, breeding, and future ownership of all exotic cat species, while advocating for stronger protections for other animals. These animals suffer in captivity, pose safety risks, and can threaten native wildlife. More than 800 animal supporters used the quick action to share their support before the public consultation closed.
In January 2026, the Canadian government granted conditional approval for Marineland to export their remaining belugas to the United States. Read more details or see the VHS’s Current Campaigns page for other ways to support animals.
Humane Canada, of which the VHS is a member organization, needs our help to speak up for animals in captivity at Marineland!
Since this important federal law was passed in 2019, more than 20 animals have died at Marineland.
Earlier this year, Marineland requested a permit from the federal government to export their 30 remaining beluga whales to the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom aquarium in China where they would endure stressful and dangerous transport and a continued life in captivity for public entertainment.
Marineland’s request was denied, and now they are threatening to euthanize the 30 remaining belugas in their care if financial support is not received from the federal government.
Join Humane Canada and animal allies across Canada to call on the Ontario government to step up for animal welfare and assist in finding alternative solutions!
What are Humane Canada and other animal organizations asking for?
Humane Canada and other organizations, including the Vancouver Humane Society, are deeply concerned about the ongoing welfare of animals at Marineland in Niagara Falls. While we applaud the federal government’s decision to decline a permit for Marineland to export their beluga whales to China, and the passing of the Ending Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act in 2019, action must be taken by the Ontario government to protect the animals at Marineland.
Humane Canada and other expert partners including the Whale Sanctuary project and World Animal Protection have repeatedly offered to assist in finding humane outcomes for these animals. Recent deaths of marine mammals and threats of euthanasia from Marineland demonstrate the urgent need for action.
Humane Canada and compassionate allies are asking for the Government of Ontario to:
Direct Ontario’s Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) to step in right away to seize the animals in situ and ensure their welfare and safety, which is at immediate risk. Marineland has stated that the whales will be euthanized if the federal government fails to approve the export permits;
Convene a group of independent marine mammal experts to assess the whales’ current condition and work to improve care standards on-site;
Determine the next steps for these whales based on expert advice and in accordance with the whales’ well-being and best interests.
Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@bang_gecko?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">verdian chua</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-and-white-lizard-on-brown-wooden-surface-68hC4vYTSFo?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Unsplash</a>
Port Moody Councillor Kyla Knowles introduced a resolution at the UBCM calling for regulations on mobile live animal programs, citing animal welfare, zoonotic disease risks, and public safety.
The Vancouver Humane Society supports the resolution, highlighting the lack of minimum standards for animal care in mobile programs.
The resolution also urges the province to update the Controlled Alien Species Regulation to include stronger welfare protections and restrictions on exotic species transport, breeding, and display.
Read media coverage on the report and the VHS’s campaign below. Stay tuned for updates!
Proposal to regulate mobile live petting zoos in B.C. is based on animal welfare concerns, advocate says.
“It seems cruel to take these animals from event to event, from party to party,” said Knowles.
Knowles said the issue came to the city’s attention through public complaints about an operator who regularly made presentations at the city’s Golden Spike Days.
“This particular operator had exotic lizards, turtles and snakes. People and kids would line up and take their turns holding them, posing with them. It just seemed cruel to watch these animals being handed from one child to another,” said Knowles after observing the operator at an event.
“The resolution is about oversight and regulation. The problem is that there are independent, private, for-profit operators in this space, and we have no idea how they are being operated,” said Knowles.
Said Emily Pickett, campaign director of the Vancouver Humane Society: “We don’t know how many of these groups there are, that’s part of the problem.”
Article originally published in the Daily Hive. Written by Chantelle Archambault, communications director at the Vancouver Humane Society, and Erin Ryan, the wildlife campaign manager at World Animal Protection.
The clock is ticking for B.C. residents to weigh in on the province’s proposed ban on breeding, selling, and owning exotic cats — wild animals like servals and caracals that are often kept as pets despite serious concerns.
The ban is a response to long-standing calls from animal welfare organizations and wildlife experts, intensified by incidents where escaped servals killed domestic cats and ducks.
The proposed change in regulations on exotic cats is a welcome and necessary step, but it addresses just one aspect of a much larger problem.
In Summer 2025 alone, three boa constrictors were found loose in B.C. communities — near Comox, on a Tofino beach, and in the yard of a Burnaby home. Another snake was abandoned in a Sooke park along with a domestic rat in September.
These aren’t isolated incidents. Since 2009, there have been nearly 40 documented cases of exotic pet escapes or releases in B.C., the majority involving reptiles.
Flaws in the current regulation
Exotic animal ownership in B.C. is regulated by the Controlled Alien Species Regulation (CASR), introduced in 2009. While it prohibits the most high-risk animals, such as tigers and venomous snakes, it doesn’t address animal welfare or zoonotic disease risk — two growing areas of concern.
The CASR uses a “negative list” approach, banning certain species (currently more than 1,200), but leaving tens of thousands of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals unregulated. This approach makes enforcement difficult and inconsistent, especially when frontline officers must correctly identify species and apply complex rules that vary depending on size and type. For instance, vipers and snakes longer than three metres are prohibited, but boa constrictors and pythons under that length are not.
The proposed exotic cat ban is a much-needed first step, but genuine progress requires further action.
Protecting animals
Exotic animals are not domesticated like cats, dogs, or domesticated rabbits. They retain the same instincts and complex needs as their wild counterparts — needs that are extremely difficult to meet in captivity. Servals feel the instinctual need to hunt, parrots to fly, and lizards to bask, dig, and explore.
Even animals marketed as “beginner-friendly” — like crested geckos, corn snakes, and bearded dragons — are rated as difficult or extreme to care for using the EMODE pet score, a science-based, free online tool developed by biologists and veterinarians. When kept in inadequate conditions, these animals suffer physically and psychologically.
Veterinary care adds to the challenge. Exotic animal vets are in short supply, and there have been reports in recent years of some vets ending these services to meet the growing demand for dog and cat care. At the same time, many specialized exotic animal rescues and sanctuaries, as well as larger animal shelters, are overwhelmed and unable to help.
Social media has fueled a rise in exotic pet ownership, but care advice shared online is inconsistent, often inaccurate, and can even be harmful. The gaps leave many new exotic pet owners unprepared, and when they can’t meet their animals’ needs, animals may be surrendered or abandoned.
Protecting ecosystems
Escaped or released exotic pets can become invasive species, posing serious threats to local biodiversity. In B.C., this has already happened. The red-eared slider turtle, introduced through the pet trade and food markets, is now displacing native turtles in local parks.
Red-eared sliders can grow to be 33 centimetres long and can live for more than 25 years in captivity, leading to overwhelmed and unprepared owners abandoning these animals. With more than 50,000 red-eared sliders estimated to be kept as pets in Canada, the problem is far from over.
Species like the American bullfrog have also been introduced to B.C., altering ecosystems and threatening native species.
Protecting public health and safety
Many exotic animals carry zoonotic diseases — those that can jump from animals to humans. Reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals may appear healthy while still shedding bacteria, such as Salmonella.
Public health agencies warn that young children, seniors, pregnant individuals, and those with weakened immune systems should avoid contact with reptiles and other wild animals. Still, exotic pet ownership continues to rise.
In 2024, two Salmonella outbreaks in Canada (one confirmed and one suspected to be gecko-related) led to 61 confirmed cases, including nine hospitalizations and one death. In some cases, people became ill simply by living in a household with geckos.
Seventy-five per cent of emerging infectious diseases originate from animals, primarily from wildlife. The crowded and stressful conditions in which animals are transported create an ideal environment for the emergence and spread of disease.
The global wildlife trade, including the exotic pet trade, has been linked to several major disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19. It is now clear that keeping and trading wild animals increases the risk of future pandemics.
Exotic pets can also pose direct safety risks. Their wild instincts do not disappear in captivity. Bites, scratches, maulings, and constriction injuries are real dangers — even from animals that may appear docile.
How about “positive lists”?
The negative list approach currently used in B.C. is reactive, inconsistent, and difficult to enforce. Instead, a “positive list” framework flips the script: only species that meet science-based criteria for welfare, public safety, and environmental protection can be kept as pets.
Positive lists are already in use in places like Belgium, the Netherlands, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan. They provide a clear, enforceable approach based on precaution and evidence, not trial and error.
A well-designed positive list would consider factors such as an animal’s ability to thrive in captivity, access to appropriate veterinary care, the risk of zoonotic disease, and ecological impact. Scientific tools, such as the EMODE pet score, could help determine which animals are suitable.
It’s time for stronger protections
The proposed exotic cat ban is a welcome step, but B.C. must take further action. Our current regulations leave too many animals — and too many people — vulnerable to harm. Expanding protections to all exotic species through a positive list framework would provide clarity, consistency, and compassion.
All animals deserve the opportunity to thrive, not just survive in captivity. And British Columbians deserve regulations that protect public health, ecosystems, and communities.
