Comment
The proposal is an unnecessary change. These raptors have long lifetimes and many are available from breeders, and so there is no reason for a falconer to need to capture a new bird from the wild each year unless they are selling them, which is neither the stated intent, nor a legitimate reason for such measures. Another possibility is that they are not taking good care of their birds, dramatically reducing their health and lifetimes, which would be deplorable and not something to support by encouraging them to treat the birds as disposable and easily replaceable.
Furthermore, the environmental impact is ill-considered. No impact study is cited in the reference links; the statements "The four common species that would be taken by falconers as part of their falconry licence are all abundant with secure populations." and "The northern goshawk population in Ontario is secure" are completely unsupported. The Ontario Field Ornithologists have issued a statement (1) declaring that both of these declarations are false, providing evidence from field data (hawk watches) and published references (the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas).
As a resident and voter in Ontario, I strongly oppose this proposal.
Supporting links
Submitted October 8, 2020 11:00 AM
Comment on
Proposal to expand the live capture of wild raptors (birds of prey) by licensed falconers
ERO number
019-1806
Comment ID
49030
Commenting on behalf of
Comment status