2008 Summer Newsletter

Vancouver International Exotic Animal Symposium

On May 29th, the BCSPCA hosted To Preserve and Protect -
an International Exotic Animal Symposium, which brought together government officials, animal welfare groups, veterinarians, RCMP, and others to discuss regulating the trade and possession of exotic animals. One of the many highlights of this special event included guest speaker and actress, Tippi Hedren, who joined us to talk about the Shambala Preserve, which she began operating in 1983 and is home to 69 rescued exotic cats. The all day event heard from several different organizations, which offered a variety of perspectives on how to improve legislation for exotic animals. Read More »

Bill 29 passes third reading!

On April 16, BC Environment Minister Barry Penner introduced Bill 29, which included revisions to the Wildlife Act that would enable the government to monitor the possession, breeding and trafficking of wild exotic animals in B.C. The Bill passed the third reading on May 29th, and will now go to Royal assent. This is a huge victory for us and most of all a huge victory for animals!

Let's Learn about Parrots

Macaws are beautiful and very intelligent birds that reside in the tropical forests and savannas in Central and South America. Due to the exotics pet trade, however, many of these magnificent birds are often seen in places like Canada, living in cages, pet stores and people's homes. The exotic pet trade has played a major role in the disappearance of macaws from their native countries. The majority of macaws are now endangered, and 6 species are now extinct. Although the international trade of all macaw species is now regulated by CITES, an illegal trade does still exist and is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year global trade. Read More »

Municipal Bylaw Campaign

Freedom Fauna is committed to ensuring every Canadian Municipality strongly consider implementing an exotic animal bylaw. In order for this campaign to be a success, we need your help! If you are interested in participating in this campaign by contacting municipalities, advocating for better legislation, or collecting data, please contact us at Freedom Fauna.