Jane Goodall Act Introduced in Canada

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The Jane Goodall Act was recently introduced in Canada, and if it moves through Senate approval, it will become one of the strongest animal welfare laws passed in history. It is imperative that Canada approve this bill, improving its animal welfare standards exponentially, and setting an example for the rest of the world. Elephants, Great Apes, Dolphins, and other wild animals that require immediate protection will all benefit from the Jane Goodall Act.

Canada is in desperate need of a revamping when it comes to animal welfare. Our laws are so beyond outdated and aren't a true reflection of how a majority of Canadians feel about protecting wild animals. Our farm animals continue to be exploited on factory farms with little to no rights whatsoever, enduring undocumented abuse and cruelty on the daily. We participate in the annual seal hunt, which I believe is our biggest embarrassment in terms of our animal welfare in this country. Our laws have sat mostly unchanged for decades while animals continue to suffer over our country's inaction.

The Jane Goodall Act would look to increase protections for some of the planet's most endangered animals while tackling animal captivity and trafficking. Let's look at some of the main components of the Jane Goodall Act;

• BANNING the new captivity of Great Apes, Elephants, & Cetaceans and the use of them in performances. This is an absolute must when it comes to animal welfare. No facility should be breeding exotic, wild animals, for the sole purpose of keeping them confined in captivity for a lifetime. These animals are dying out in the wild, our focus should be solely on conservation and rehabilitation of these species. In terms of performances, this is long overdue. We don't need to watch endangered animals performing tricks. I'd be much happier watching a documentary on Nat Geo regarding their successful rehabilitation.
• LEGAL standing given to Great Apes, Elephants, Dolphins, Whales. Granting animals legal standing recognizes the intelligence, sentience, emotions, and social needs of a species. This is a monumentally important step in not only protecting, but preventing future exploitation.
• IMPROVE our flawed bans on importing ivory and other hunting trophies. Y'all know by now how I feel about trophy hunting. These animals are facing extinction, there's simply no excuse for permitting their slaughter. We need to ban hunting trophies coming in to the country from animals facing extinction. This would include lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, and more.

There are approximately 40 - 50 thousand elephants remaining in the wild and an estimated 4 thousand great apes. These numbers indicate that at the current trajectory, we could see them both being extinct in the wild within 30 years. These are alarming statistics that indicate that despite global activism and conservation awareness & efforts, these animals are still headed towards extinction. I truly believe that this is because countries across the globe claim to care about conservation but have yet to make these incredibly significant changes that would would align with those claims. We need to tackle illegal poaching and trophy hunting; both of which are decimating endangered animals. Ban the imports of any trophies that come from an animal that is endangered, period. Devalue ivory, pangolin scales, bear bile etc., collectively as a planet. We need big changes.

The Jane Goodall Act MUST pass in Canada. We must take a stand for our planet's most vulnerable and make true commitments to their rehabilitation. As I said, numbers don't lie & extinction is permanent. We are running out of time.

HAPPY VEG