I support the proposal. I am…

I support the proposal. I am an apprentice falconer. Eliminating the draw is a huge improvement. I can be a better falconer if I can take a bird from the wild and have it teach me as I care for it. Being a 'native' species, I will be able to release it back to the wild at the end of the hunting season without worrying about how to get another bird. The proposal will support 'native' species being used in our Ontario context. This is better for the captive birds than the use of birds non-adapted to our climate. It will help reduce the number of breeders of non-adapted and cross-bred falconry birds. As such, it will also protect the environment, reducing the number of non-native birds getting accidentally lost into Ontario habitat.

The proposal also enhances an important part of falconry heritage, which is recognized by UNESCO as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”.

I hope the MNRF will continue to expand the regulations, so other birds of prey can be taken in the near future. The Ontario Hawking Club has been very active in monitoring goshawks, and I strongly support the proposal to allow adjustment of the numbers of goshawks based on new information as it becomes available in the future.

Thank you for this opportunity to comment.