Two animal rights organizations have called for a review of a new Ontario law that expands a licensing regime that allows dogs to track captive coyotes, foxes and rabbits in huge fenced pens.
Last year, the province passed legislation that would allow expanded licenses for so-called “training and testing” areas where hunters can take their dogs to search for and pursue wild animals. The dog sport has seen its numbers decline since former Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Mike Harris’ government declared new licenses illegal and allowed others to be phased out.
Animal Justice and Coyote Watch Canada filed the review application last week under the province’s Environmental Bill of Rights, asking Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Graydon Smith to halt plans to expand the train and test area, as well as gradually eliminate existing ones.
“The more we learn about these closed dog hunting areas, the more we are concerned about the risks to wildlife and also to public health,” Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice, said in an interview.
The training component consists of letting hunting dogs loose in these areas, which usually have an area of hundreds of hectares, but which are fenced around the perimeter. The dogs learn to hunt animals like coyotes, which are captured in the wild and relocated to these areas.
The testing portion involves competitions with judges scoring the dogs on their hunting skills. Points are awarded and champions are crowned.
The law says wildlife should not be harmed during these practice hunts, but the reality is different, two former conservation officials told The Canadian Press last year.
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Former officers Rick Maw and Wayne Lintack spoke out about the province’s plan to expand the dog sport, saying it was cruel to wildlife, particularly coyotes.
They said the dogs had injured and killed coyotes in the past. The couple also spoke about the discovery of a coyote trade ring where animals were captured illegally, stuffed into a small room in a barn and sold to other hunters to be used in other train and trial areas.
Animal rights groups seek review of #Ontario’s new hunting dog law. #ONPoli #HuntingDogs #AnimalJustice #CoyoteWatchCanada #DogHunt
Last year, after pressure from hunters, Doug Ford’s government decided to expand the sport. The Ontario Sporting Dog Association said no animals are injured in the sport. The expansion is also supported by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.
The province has proposed granting new licenses through a one-time 90-day application period, which is expected to open soon, and allowing licenses to be transferred to new owners.
The sport is “cruel and inhumane,” animal rights organizations say in their review request.
“These operations subject captive animals to terrible physical and psychological distress, and also create an unsafe environment for the dogs that are trained to pursue these animals that are used as live bait,” Animal Justice and Coyote Watch Canada said in their application. .
Animals to be used as bait in this sport must be caught humanely, the law states.
The minister declined to comment, saying he has not yet had time to review the request.
The ministry said it is also reviewing the request.
“Currently, all train and testing facilities operate responsibly and comply with strict regulatory requirements, including compliance with wildlife care standards,” said Marcela Mayo, spokesperson for the ministry.
“We are committed to ensuring this continues.”
Conservation officers will inspect the facilities and “take any necessary enforcement action, as they have done in the past and will continue to do in the future,” Mayo said.
In 1997 there were more than 60 rail and testing zones, but that number has been reduced to 24 across the province. The law made it illegal to sell or transfer those licenses.
No other province allows such training and testing areas to use live animals as bait, except Manitoba, which allows the use of live game birds but not other animals, the review application states.
The app notes that confinement with foxes and coyotes is prohibited in most US states.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2024.