Dear Ministry, I am…

Dear Ministry,

I am saddened and alarmed to learn that the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry government plans to expand the program for dog training using wild animals as bait. I strongly oppose the proposal to allow new licenses and the transfer of existing ones for this purpose.

Wild animals including coyotes, fox and rabbits, are just that "wild". The continued destruction of animal habitat by the current administration's rush to build homes in the Greenbelt - which is not scam by the way - will put enormous pressure on wild life populations.

Currently the world's wild life population composes less than 4 percent of existing biomass. Trapping wild animals to use in this extremely barbaric practice, will only do more harm and further reduce wild populations.

As well, in Toronto as an example, the racoon population goes through cycles of distemper which are always higher in summer. Putting wild animals and domestic dogs in the same proximity also increases the potential for the spread of distemper and other transmissible diseases.

Wild life should remain wild and not be utilized for this inhumane and outdated practice, I urge the government to reconsider this practice and to phase out the existing 24 facilities in the province.