Posted by:
EricWI
at Wed Nov 3 07:23:45 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by EricWI ]
COBOURG and PORT HOPE -- A woman who lobbied Cobourg and Port Hope councils to stop anyone from having exotic animals as pets and/or using them as advertising gimmicks says a private member's bill may at least keep track of the animals.
"I don't know if (the proposed law) is a first step" in limiting the keeping of such animals, Diana Storen said in an interview Tuesday, but at least the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources would know where they are.
Storen, a Cobourg resident, made presentations to councillors in Port Hope and Cobourg throughout the early-and mid-2000s with the objective of preventing anyone from keeping exotic pets within the municipalities' borders.
Cobourg passed a bylaw in 2002 and updated it in 2004. The bylaw primarily addresses using exotic animals for entertainment, such as in an exhibition, show or circus "in which a wild or exotic animal is required to perform for the amusement or entertainment of an audience with the Town of Cobourg" except if it is for educational purposes.
Port Hope has no bylaw related to exotic pets.
The private member's bill, introduced into Queen's Park by Brant MPP Dave Levac, if it becomes law, would impose a licensing system.
"The Exotic Wildlife in Captivity Act will regulate the ownership and acquisition of exotic wildlife and require anyone wishing to own exotic wildlife to apply for a licence through the Ministry of Natural Recourses (MNR). The licence would require owners to provide the animals with suitable housing and care based on the needs of the animal, keep the public safe from danger and surrender the animals to the MNR should they fail in any of these duties," states a media release from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) Canada supporting the bill.
"Ontario is the only province that allows anyone to keep exotic animals like tigers in their backyard without a licence," WSPA Melisa Matlow stated.
The Levac bill is a way to make things safer for Ontarians and the animals, she stated.
"Any type of mechanism being brought forward, or regulation about the keeping of exotic animals in Ontario, we're in favour of," Zoocheck Canada's executive director Rob Laidlaw said in an interview.
Zoocheck Canada, like Storen, would, however, like to see the complete prohibition of the keeping of exotic animals by private individuals.
www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2828545
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 Ontario Bill would impose Licensing - EricWI, Wed Nov 3 07:23:45 2010
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