In the News
"Exotic-animal acts not welcome in Cobourg"
(Copyright Port Hope Evening Guide 2004)
With two dissenting votes, Cobourg council this week voted to ban all wild- and exotic-animal acts from town.
The bylaw previously in place banned them from town property, explained Coun. Lloyd Williams who tabled the motion.
Now they will be banned from town, period.
The bylaw contained a clause saying the ban did not apply to educational displays or programs "offered by an organization accredited by the Canadian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums."
It also included a list of 21 different categories of animal that fall under the ban, including pinnipedia (such as seals and walruses), cetacea (such as the beluga whale, orca and dolphin), snakes, non-human primates (such as gorillas and monkeys), and poisonous and venomous animals.
Though he couldn't pronounce many of the categories, Coun. Williams admitted, the animals still deserved protection.
Coun. Dean McCaughey and Coun. Bill MacDonald announced their intention to oppose the bylaw.
Pointing out that such shows do draw large audiences, he said, "the public has a wish to continue to see animals that are property cared for.
"I'm sorry, but I think this is just beyond the scope of council, and we should leave it alone."
The other members of Cobourg council disagreed, and the bylaw was passed.