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Update: Speaking up for sled dogs and wild animals in captivity

Update

This action has now ended. Thank you to the 518 advocates who used the quick action to ask their MLA to speak up for animals in captivity and sled dogs. Please see the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help wild animals in captivity and animals used in entertainment.

This summer, the VHS ramped up calls for changes to B.C.’s regulations on two key animal welfare issues: sled dogs and wild animals in captivity. All B.C. residents can help by raising these two animal welfare issues with their MLA in a call or meeting.

You don’t need to be an expert on either of these topics to make an impact. Instead, what’s important is that they hear why these issues matter to you. You can ask them to raise the issues, along with the VHS’s recommendations, with the relevant B.C. Ministers.

Provincial decision-makers have previously noted that the regulations for both issues are due for review, without a timeline for action. The VHS has provided clear recommendations for how the regulations need to be updated to better protect animal welfare, but action continues to be delayed and animals continue to suffer as a result.

As MLAs return to parliament this fall, the VHS will continue to advocate for wild and exotic animals in captivity and sled dogs in the commercial sled dog industry.

Can you help by engaging with your MLA on these animal welfare issues? To find your MLA’s contact information, head to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia website and enter your postal code.

Find my MLA

Short on time? Use the quick email tool to send a message to your MLA today!

This action has now ended.

518 people used this tool to call on their MLA to speak up for animals. Thank you for taking action.

See more campaigns

Commercial sled dog industry

Under B.C.’s current sled dog regulations, sled dogs can be tethered for lengthy periods of time and sled dog tour companies are allowed to shoot surplus dogs, so long as the operator has made reasonable efforts to try to rehome the sled dog.

Recommendations on sled dogs

Wild and exotic animals in captivity

Meanwhile, B.C.’s outdated wild and exotic animal captivity regulations allow for many species to be kept as pets or in captive facilities, despite the difficulty in meeting their complex physical and psychological needs. Numerous incidents in recent years at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, including the escape of wolves from the zoo this summer which tragically resulted in the death of one wolf, reiterate the urgent need for updating the province’s regulations.

Recommendations on animals in captivity
“Think about the worst thing you think could happen to an animal in Canada … I guarantee that what’s out there is a thousand times worse.”
Rob Laidlaw, Zoocheck founder
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The VHS was recently joined by Zoocheck founder Rob Laidlaw to share his decades of experience advocating for the well-being of animals. Read or listen to the discussion on the VHS’s exclusive podcast, The Informed Animal Ally.

Learn more about captivity laws & practices

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Speak out against inhumane rodeo events at the Calgary Stampede

steer wrestling at a rodeo

Cruelty at the Calgary Stampede

Canada’s largest rodeo, the Calgary Stampede, is making a full return for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Animals will be subjected to inhumane bucking, wrestling and roping events. This year will mark the first time the chuckwagon races are being held since 2019, when 6 horses died. To date, more than 100 animals have died at the Calgary Stampede.

Share the truth about rodeo

The Vancouver Humane Society is collaborating with concerned Calgarians to raise awareness about the distress and unnecessary risk of injury and death that animals face in rodeo events at the Calgary Stampede.

The new microsite, RodeoTruth.com, hosts a wealth of information, including the latest science about rodeo-related animal welfare issues; a breakdown of the Calgary Stampede rodeo events; engaging videos that you can share to help raise public awareness; and a #SayNoToRodeo pledge that you can take to reflect your opposition to inhumane rodeo events.

Help speak up for animals used in rodeos by sharing the new Rodeo Truth website and taking the #SayNoToRodeo pledge.

Visit & share RodeoTruth.com
Sign the #SayNoToRodeo pledge

Follow & share Rodeo Truth on social media

You can also follow the new Rodeo Truth social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for more content you can share to raise awareness of – and opposition to – cruel rodeo events.

Like Rodeo Truth on Facebook
Follow Rodeo Truth on Instagram
Follow Rodeo Truth on TikTok

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“Dogs in Distress”, Iditarod, and summer weather: Sled dogs still suffering

“Dogs in Distress”

You may have seen the recent W5 investigation, “Dogs in Distress”, which exposed the commercial sled dog industry in Canada. The investigation found disturbing evidence of dogs chained outdoors for prolonged periods; repetitive pacing behaviour; and inhumane forms of euthanasia.

The welfare issues highlighted in the investigation reiterate the need for updating B.C.’s Sled Dog Standards of Care Regulation, which are overdue for review.

You can watch the full investigation below. Please note that the images and stories shared in this story may be very upsetting.

W5: Uncovering the shocking treatment of sled dogs in Canada

An iconic winter tourist draw is being scrutinized by experts and activists. Once essential to the survival of indigenous communities, dog sledding is embraced today for sport and tourism. W5 investigates what sometimes goes on behind the scenes when dogs aren’t pulling paid customers.

Recent decision by Iditarod

A recent concerning decision by Iditarod officials also highlights welfare issues in the long-distance sled dog race across Alaska. Despite claiming that participants would be disqualified for inhumane treatment of dogs, race officials penalized those who made the decision to shelter their dog teams safely indoors during a dangerous storm.

Officials noted that the participants who decided bring their dog teams indoors gained a competitive advantage even though they “did the right thing for their dogs”.

This concerning decision highlights a prevailing attitude that sled dogs can be exploited for human gain, even at the expense of their well-being.

Act now!

With warmer weather fast approaching, sled dogs will soon find themselves in the sled dog tourism industry’s off-season. Current regulations allow dogs to be chained for more than 23 hours a day, and many outdoor dog houses provide little protection from the summer heat. Use the quick email tool below to help protect sled dogs now.

Last year, animal advocates called for stronger regulations for sled dogs.

More than 4,700 individuals used VHS’s quick action tool to contact B.C.’s Minister of Agriculture, Lana Popham, who is responsible for the Sled Dog Standards of Care Regulation.

Thanks to all the support, VHS was able to meet with the Minister. She indicated that reviewing the sled dog regulations was delayed, but that they are on the Ministry’s to-do list.

Each email to the Ministry helps to get this issue recognized as a priority as VHS continues to follow up. Can you send a quick email to Minister Lana Popham now?

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Take action: Identify & report the use of banned rodenticides

A black plastic rat trap. Pest control concept image.

Effective July 2021, the B.C. government enacted a temporary, partial ban on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs). These poisons have been used widely in rodent control and they cause significant suffering for wildlife and pets.

You can help protect animals from these banned poisons by being on the look out for them in your community and reporting them to provincial authorities and to VHS, so we can keep track of the presence of banned poisons throughout communities.

Learn more below about how to identify and report banned rodenticides. Visit this page to call for further action from the provincial government.

How to report banned rodent poisons in B.C.

Effective July 2021, the B.C. government enacted a temporary, partial ban on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs). These poisons have been used widely in rodent control and they cause significant suffering for wildlife and pets. Despite the ban, bait boxes with labels indicating SGARs continue to be found in banned locations-and animals continue to suffer.

Table Of Contents
  1. Which rodenticides are banned?
  2. Tips for documenting banned rodenticides
  3. How you can report banned rodenticides

Which rodenticides are banned?

The ban applies to the following second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs):

  • Brodifacoum
  • Bromadiolone
  • Difethialone

Under the ban, these poisons are now prohibited in or around most residential buildings, offices, parks, schools, and non-food retail shops.

There are exemptions that allow for SGARs to continue being used in certain locations that are deemed to be “essential services”. For a complete list of exemptions, visit the B.C. government’s website.

Tips for documenting banned rodenticides

Be on the lookout for bait boxes, often found around the outside perimeter of buildings, as well as inside of buildings. If the bait box contains a rodenticide, a label identifying the active ingredient or its registration number, along with the contact information for the pest control company, should be on the outside of the container lid.

Note: The presence of a bait box does not necessarily mean SGAR poisons are being used, as bait boxes may contain snap traps or other products.

If the active ingredient noted on the label is brodifacoum, bromadiolone, or difethialone and the bait box is not in a location that is exempt from the ban, please document the following in order to file a report: (Note – Do not tamper with bait boxes.)

  • Photos of the outside of the bait box;
  • Photos of the label on the bait box;
  • Photos of the surrounding location;
  • Note the date, time and address.

How you can report banned rodenticides

Report the suspected banned poison to the B.C. government via the “Report All Poachers and Polluters” (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP) or #7277, or through the online reporting form.