Toronto consulting on exotic animals in city

Yorkregion.com
April 30, 2017

Canada's most populous city has an exotic animal problem.

Staff with the City of Toronto admit that a bylaw on prohibited animals contains loopholes allowing so-called mobile zoos - which take animals around for events ranging from birthday parties to church picnics - to flourish with little oversight, raising concerns about animal welfare and human health.

To deal with the issue, the city has launched a wide-ranging consultation on prohibited animals that involves an online survey for the public, as well as meetings with exotic animal businesses and animal welfare groups to address the "significant rise" in mobile zoos.

Toronto already has an extensive list of banned animals, such as monkeys, tigers and alligators, and owning one could result in a $240 fine. But the city admits there are weaknesses in the rules, particularly when it comes to mobile zoos.

"We don't know who's bringing animals into the city, what kind of animals they're bringing into the city and where they're using these animals and how they're using these animals," said Elizabeth Glibbery, manager of the city's animal services department. "We have no idea at this time."

An investigation by The Canadian Press last fall found that mobile zoos working with exotics - wild animals taken from their natural habitat or bred in captivity and not native to the country - appear to be on the rise in Canada, with industry watchers blaming a patchwork of outdated and inconsistent laws and bylaws for the trend.

Some experts have said exposure to disease through mobile animal businesses is a concern since many exotics harbour contagions that do them no harm but can put humans at serious risk. Animals who are not adapted to endure significant human contact may also lash out in unexpected ways.

Data on mobile zoos is hard to come by. The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for instance, had indicated late last year it only had five such mobile zoos registered in the province, but a list compiled from industry watchdog Zoocheck shows nearly 70 have popped up in the Greater Toronto Area over the past few years.

In Toronto, a prohibited animal bylaw granted mobile zoos an exemption to the rule if they were accredited by Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums, the self-regulating industry group for which members pay dues, and were located in an industrial zone.

Last December, an amendment to the bylaw got rid of that exemption, but grandfathered in companies already operating in the city.