I am totally opposed to the…

I am totally opposed to the proposal to increase the live take of birds of prey from their wild natural habitat to satisfy a small number of falconers. These wild birds belong in the wild, where they will contribute their genes to the continuation of a healthy natural population, not in captivity. We need to sustain wild bird populations not reduce them unnecessarily. I see no justification in this proposal.

In addition there is no supervision or population monitoring included in the proposal, no measure of the impact this proposed removal of birds of prey from the wild may have on their populations. Northern Goshawks are not a common species, their population has declined in Ontario. A proposal to remove any, even a small number, from the wild cannot be justified.

The welfare of the birds should come first. All the raptors mentioned in the proposal migrate from their breeding range to wintering ranges. To confine a large bird like this in one place for the rest of its life, against its instinct to migrate, is wrong. It shows no consideration for the wellbeing of the captured birds.

I urge you to throw out this proposal and leave Ontario's birds of prey in the wild where they belong.