Papanack Zoo protesters call for ‘regulation with teeth’
“Marie-France Lalonde: Regulate Zoos Now!” read a sign in front of the Orléans office of the Liberal MPP.
On Monday, a group of 15 people, including some from the Ottawa Animal Defense League, gathered on the sidewalk in front of the officer of the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services to protest the lack of zoo regulations in Ontario.
“There needs to be some sort of regulation with teeth,” said Michele Thorn, a member of the OADL.
The protest was spurred on by the release of a video Friday that is alleged to depict animal abuse at the Papanack Zoo in Wendover, east of Ottawa.
The video, released by an organization called Animal Justice — an Ottawa-based group of lawyers fighting for animal protection — was purportedly filmed by a former zoo employee last year. It allegedly shows animal abuse at the zoo, including a raccoon and a skunk having their mouths pried open to bare their teeth for a camera.
Diane Godard said she joined the Monday protest because of the video.
“I couldn’t watch the whole thing,” she said.
Godard said she used to live near the zoo and never thought about how the animals were treated.
When she found out there were no regulations in place for roadside zoos like Papanack, she said she wanted to take action.
“Saturday was the first time that I’ve ever gone out to demonstrate about something in my life, and I’m 62,” said Godard, who was part of a group of 50 or so people who protested outside the zoo Saturday.
Following the Saturday protest and various media reports about the video, Lalonde issued a statement Sunday, saying she was very “concerned” about the video, noting the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had launched an investigation.
The OSPCA, which receives $5.5 million a year from the Ontario government to investigate animal cruelty, has a “voluntary registry system” for zoos and aquariums and inspects them at least twice a year, a spokesperson for Lalonde’s office said.
The last inspection for Papanack took place this July.
However, a spokeswoman for the OSPCA said the regulation of zoos is beyond its jurisdiction and if the public wants to voice its opinion on zoo laws, it should contact local government officials.
“The Minister is supportive of people’s right to expression and although she wasn’t at her office today, she heard their message,” a spokesperson for Lalonde said via email Monday.
Although Lalonde wasn’t available, Thorn said a member of her staff took down her contact information.
“I would actually like to have a meeting with her and sit down. We need to talk about these issues; it’s not a five-minute phone call. I’d like to hear what she really has to say,” Thorn said.
An OSPCA spokeswoman said there is no set timeline for the investigation.