Dear Sir/Madam, I condemn…

Dear Sir/Madam,

I condemn the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s proposal to allow expansion to the existing train and trial facilities in Ontario.

“Train and trial” and “penned hunting” are euphemisms for inhumanely terrorizing wildlife, again, and again, and again.

Wildlife are sentient beings. In “train and trial” situations they are exposed to extreme psychological distress, and anxiety while being hunted by predators. There is repeated physical trauma when you are running in terror, too.

The stress and anxiety the wildlife feel will not abate when the “penned hunting” session ends. The animals will be under chronic stress dreading the next occurrence of being surrounded by killers and running for their life.

That is an unbelievably cruel form of torture.

Humans subjected to this treatment would develop PTSD. Many animals show lasting changes in behaviour and physiology after a traumatic experience, just like humans with PTSD.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/do-wild-animals-get-ptsd-…

The province of Ontario, its government and its citizens should be better people than ones who support and encourage animal cruelty.

Wildlife should not be removed from their natural habitat and held captive for this kind of extreme abuse.

We should be progressive in protecting wildlife.

Increasing these operations is regressive. Expanding this barbaric practice will put animal protection legislation in Ontario back decades.

Instead, our legislators should be taking steps to immediately close all existing “train and trial” or “penned hunting” facilities.

These facilities have no place in a humane and compassionate Ontario.

If more people knew about this proposed change which is buried in “Bill 91, Less Red Tape, Stronger Economy Act, 2023”, the outcry would be deafening.

Please do not support allowing more train and trial facilities. This is extreme animal abuse and cruelty dressed up as training.

I am ashamed that my provincial government would even consider subjecting more wildlife to this abuse.

Sincerely,