Roadside zoo season is set to begin in Ontario and advocates say it's time to shore up animal welfare laws

Animal rights advocates and municipal associations are calling on the Ontario government to shore up animal welfare laws withroadside zooseason set to begin.

Roadside zoos, which tend to open to the public around this time of year, are oftensmall pop-up attractions outside major cities that can feature a host of exotic and domestic animals for guests to interact with.

They also frequently involve smallenclosures for animals, offer little more than food, water and a shelter box, and have a negative impact on animal behaviours, according to the non-profit organizationWorld Animal Protection (WAP).

The organization calls the zoos"substandard" facilities that mainly house wild animals in "poor, barren conditions."

But apatchwork of legislation in Ontario allows the zoos to open up shopin some municipalities while being banned in others,WAP wildlife campaign manager MichleHamers told CBC Toronto.

"Compared to other provinces and jurisdictions in Canada, Ontario lags behind," said Hamers.

"There's nothing really stopping the government to take on this issue. It'spolitical will and priorities, and we don't want to wait ... until there is another escape or another incident that happens."

Industry safety and regulation has improved in Ontario in recent years notably thanks to the provincial Animal Welfare Services Act (PAWS) that came into force in 2019andsets outbasic standards of care for some animals. But critics and advocates say it's too vague to interpret effectively and consistently for each exotic animal, leaving municipalities grappling to regulate zoosthemselves.

WAPsays until the province implements clearer rules for wildlife facilities and dedicates more resources to regulating the industry, the problem will only persist since about 50 per centof municipalities don't have any bans on wild animal ownership at all.

"It's great that we have certain provisions, certain regulations," said Hamers."But if it's not properly enforced and we can't hold facilities accountable for what they're doing. That's still very problematic."

Municipalities, bylaw officers fending for themselves

It's a long-standing problem that leaves municipalities even those with by-laws on the issue facingchallenges in managing exotic animals,according theAssociation ofMunicipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers ofOntario, thelargest association of local government professionals in the province.

"Municipalities are sort of doing the best they can with the information they have," said David Arbuckle, the association'sexecutive director.

And despite the efforts taken by local authoritiesto shut them down, insome cases, the association says aroadside zoocan still packup shop and move to another municipality.

"It's piecemealand there's different ways in which municipalities deal with it," said Arbuckle.

"It would be great for there to be overarching provincial legislation that would provide more guidance to boththe council themselves but also those that are being called in to enforce the rules."

TheMunicipal Law Enforcement Officers' Association agrees, sayinga province-wide framework and public educationon the issue is needed to address both citizen and officer safety.

"Not all of them may be trained with dealing with those types of animals that they've been called to interact with," the association's president Doug Godfrey, said of officers,adding they may not always have the means or resources to interact with the animals.

Ontario's Ministry of the Solicitor General is responsible for administering the PAWS Act. In a response to CBC Toronto's inquiries,the ministry did not say if newlegislation is on the way, but said the province is a "leader in the protection of animals, with the strongest penalties and first enforcement system of its kind in the entire country."

"Animal Welfare Services will not hesitate to issue orders if an organization, company or individual is not in compliance with all rules, regulations, and standards of care regarding the welfare of animals."

The ministry adds that the province's Animal Welfare Services has given 7,600 orders, laid 600 charges and removed over 5,200 animals from situations negatively impacting their welfare since January 2020.

Animal welfare should come first, Toronto Zoo says

Toronto Zoo, the largest zoo in the country, says it supports WAP's campaign and has been advocating for greater protections for animals for years.

"We don't want to just be following a standard, we want to be setting a standard," saidDolf DeJong, the CEO of the zoo.

That's made easier because of third-party, non-profit accreditation from The Association ofZoosand Aquariums, DeJong says. Beyond accreditation and its guest and staff emergency drills, the zoo says the main differences separating it from roadside zoos are its focus on conservation, education and transparency.

"Many people are visiting the zoo as a fun day out with their family and our commitment is making the most of that time to make sure they leave with messages on what they can do to help," said said DeJong.

"We're going to keep taking those steps to make sure everybody leaves better equipped to be a steward for wildlife."

Hamers says families looking to support more trustworthy zoo institutions should look for third-party accreditation and avoid places with poor fencing or those that allow people totouch andfeedwild animals.

"Please do your research and make sure that you understand what kind of zoo you're walking into," said Hamers.

"[If]it's purely for entertainment, that's where we draw the line and say listen, that's not acceptable anymore in this day and age."