I believe the train and…

I believe the train and trial pens are archaic and have no place in the future of Ontario. We have strong animal welfare standards that prohibit animal fighting and I believe that this hunting training practice is no different than what we actively prohibit. Under section 16(1) of the Ontario Animal Welfare Services Act, "No person shall encourage, promote, arrange, conduct, assist in, receive a financial or material benefit for or take part in,
(a) the training of an animal to fight with another animal; or
(b) any meeting, competition, exhibition, pastime, display or event at or in the course of which an animal fights another animal.
The above is exactly what train and trial facilities are all about, by the mere definition! They take a wild animal into captivity and hunting dogs are trained to fight another animal (a). These train and trial facilities include the gathering of hunters, judges, and spectators to observe and rate the gruesome display of which an animal fights another animal as an event, display, pastime, exhibition, and competition (b). The wild animal is given no chance at survival as fences are erected to prevent escape and often several dogs are released upon one prey animal. Firearms are not permitted so the wild animal is mauled to death for human entertainment. Hunting has become no longer about "feeding the family" but rather a barbaric sport where killing is fun and something to be praised. If it were truly about hunting and valuing the animal for the nutrition and material it can offer the hunter, there would be no competition or judges to "rate" how "good" the dog is at killing. Even if the theory of the practice was simply to train the dogs to track and lure the wild animal and it wasn't supposed to be about the killing, the end result will always be bloodsport. The wild animal is stressed and confined and will, in all likelihood, choose to fight when flight is no longer an option. The end result is a distressed wild animal fighting for it's life, triggering a pack response in the dogs, and ultimately, a pack of dogs attacking and killing the wild animal. As it currently stands, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation At advises against both train and trial (sec. 35) and hunting wildlife in captivity (sec. 41), unless the person is licensed to do so under the regulations. This leads an individual to believe that, generally speaking, the practice is frowned upon and must be regulated to ensure hunters do not abuse it. Yet, we propose opening up applications to open new facilities across Ontario? Offering even a 90-day period is unreasonable and irresponsible. This approach is a weak attempt to appease the few involved in this activity and goes against all current legislation as well as public interests. There are other, more ethical ways to approach hunting dog training that do not include forcing the dog into fighting a wild and confined predator species. I strongly vote against this new proposal and do not wish to see these amendments in the legislation.