LEGALIZED ANIMAL CRUELTY. …

LEGALIZED ANIMAL CRUELTY. When will it stop? (ERO #019-3685)

RE: Additional Penned Dog Hunting Facilities Proposed in Ontario. Disgusting, inhumane and unethical.

Why would the Government of Ontario want to even consider allowing new facilities to be licensed to train dogs to cruelly hunt captive live foxes, coyotes and rabbits as training bait? Instead, you should be considering closing down all existing “Train and Trial” locations.

We are outraged that there are 24 Train and Trial licensed facilities still in business in Ontario. There should be none allowed. Some animals are caught by trappers which is traumatizing, then they are sold, and released into these penned enclosures only to be terrorized again. And some of the wildlife may be bred to provide offspring for future captive hunts.

These wild captive animals are often viciously killed by the dogs. What type of people would request permission to allow this horrific and brutal animal abuse, and what about our government officials who are entertaining such a request.

To read the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s “Proposal details Background” information (Your ERO number 019-3685, “Proposal to allow the issuance of licences for new dog train and trial areas and the transfer of licences”) is in itself extremely unsettling (excerpt):

“Train and trial areas are enclosed areas on private land where certain wildlife (i.e. cottontail, snowshoe hare, red fox or coyote) are kept captive for the purposes of teaching dogs hunting skills such as picking up scent trails, tracking, and pursuing game at a safe distance. They are also used to conduct hunting dog competitions (known as ‘trialing’). The fenced areas are designed to keep both the wildlife and the dogs confined to the area (not allowing for the free passage of wildlife).

Train and trial areas are utilized to:

• train hunting dogs to only pursue specific game species in the wild by having them practice in a controlled environment
• exercise hunting dogs in the off-season
• provide a dedicated space for training where dogs and wildlife are contained and safe, to avoid conflicts with other land and resource users
• run trialing competitions where dogs are scored by judges for their hunting abilities”

We do not understand how the government can justify this animal brutality. Are you aware that more than four out of five Canadians oppose hunting animals for sport. We hope that you will also be one of those Canadians who opposes hunting for sport.

On one hand, the Government of Ontario established the Ontario Animal Protection Call Centre for the public to report when they think an animal is in distress or being abused, and on the other hand, we have the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry considering a “Proposal to allow the issuance of licences for new dog Train and Trial areas and the transfer of licences”. Sport hunting is not a necessity. Help us understand this contradiction.

We wholeheartedly are opposed to any additional Train and Trial facilities being allowed to open, and we would like to see the Government of Ontario close down any facilities that are still open.

We hope you agree with our position and if not, we would like to hear from you why not.

Sincerely,

ANIMAL DEFENCE LEAGUE
OF CANADA

Mrs. J. Bélair
Board of Directors
Ottawa, ON