Vancouver gets an exotic pets bylaw
Date: February 2, 2007
The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) and Zoocheck Canada have given a qualified welcome to Vancouver City Council's ban on exotic animals. The council voted to prohibit a list of exotic animals from being sold in the city and to prohibit the keeping of a shorter list of exotics at a meeting last night).
VHS and Zoocheck Canada had hoped that the lists, particularly the prohibition on keeping exotic animals, would be longer. The council instructed city staff to consider additions to the list and report back within a year.
"This is a good first step in protecting the welfare of exotic species, as well as addressing public safety," said VHS spokesperson Peter Fricker. "Large reptiles such as caimans, poisonous snakes and dangerous cats such as tigers will no longer be permitted within city limits. This has been a problem in Vancouver, and we're thrilled that Council is addressing that problem."
Council also approved a staff recommendation that the mayor write to the Union of BC Municipalities to request a standard municipal list of exotic animals to be banned from sale. "This could lead to a province-wide ban on the sale of exotic species," said Julie Woodyer, Campaigns Director at Zoocheck Canada. "Presently in Canada, the issue of exotic pets is not addressed, either at a provincial or federal level. It seems ridiculous that in most provinces, one cannot keep a raccoon without a wildlife permit, but it's perfectly acceptable to keep a tiger in a backyard. We hope this will lead to a solution to this problem, which involves not only serious animal welfare concerns, but issues of public safety and displacement of indigenous species by escaped or released exotics."
The city also decided to introduce pet store regulations to set minimum care standards for animals kept in pet stores, a move long overdue, according to VHS.
