Push for Canada to Ban the Captivity of Elephants / Apes

​www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jane-goodall-ape-elephant-captivity-1.5803836

Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall is backing Senator Murray Sinclair from Manitoba's push to ban the captivity of elephants and apes in Canada. Sen. Sinclair is also responsible for heavily advocating for the ban on orca / cetacean captivity that passed in Canada last year. This proposed ban would make it illegal to own an ape or an elephant or to breed them unless it is approved to be done for the purpose of animal welfare / conservation. This would effectively end elephant and ape captivity at zoos and places like the Animal Lion Safari, where it will then become illegal to obtain new elephants / apes unless for conservation purposes. The bill is also pushing for Canada to ban the import of products containing ivory that have slipped under the cracks of Canada's lackluster welfare standards.

There are 33 great apes currently in captivity in Canada and a reported 20 elephants, 16 of which are based at the Animal Lion Safari in Ontario. The Animal Lion Safari has been under repeated scrutiny for their allowance of elephant rides, exploiting elephants for profits and forcing them to trot humans around on their backs for pictures which is wholly unnatural for these majestic animals.

While both Sinclair and Goodall agree that there are some benefits to zoos, mostly conservation related, simply having these animals behind bars for people to look at is hardly educational. Plucking them from the wild / breeding them for the sole purpose of throwing them behind bars for humans to look at is cruel and exploitative. Elephants are incredibly social and intelligent animals that should not be held behind bars for any reason other than conservation. As we know, both apes and elephants are on the Endangered Species List facing perils in the wild that are pushing them towards inevitable extinction. That's why for conservation purposes, this law would allow captivity of both apes & elephants for the sole purpose of rehabilitating the species'.

"I gather that in Canada they actually use them for entertainment and giving tourists rides. That's very insulting, really, very demeaning to their role in our lives." - Jane Goodall

To put things in to perspective, there were a reported 10 million elephants in the wild in 1930 which has since dwindled down to a mere 400, 000 in 2020. In less than 100 years, we've decimated over 9 million elephants on our planet. Apes are also spiraling towards extinction but thankfully there are many programs and initiatives to protect both elephants and apes in the wild. Despite these initiatives, more is needed to secure a future for these species' which is why it is imperative that Canada adopt this bill and end the import of ivory products / the captivity of elephants / apes. We must act aggressively in protecting these animals before they go extinct, as I've always said, extinction is permanent. We cannot undo extinction which is why we need to do everything in our power to prevent that from happening.

Humans are solely responsible for the decimation of elephants and apes. In fact, humans are likely responsible for the extinction / endangerment of nearly every species on our planet. Whether we're looking at trophy & sport hunting, illegal poaching for pelts and ivory, conflicts with the animal agriculture industry, or habitat loss due to climate change or continued human development, these perils can all be traced back to us. Knowing that we are solely responsible for the endangerment of animals, it makes it our responsibility to protect and rehabilitate these animals before they go extinct. It means that we should be enhancing the lives of these animals, not breeding them in captivity or forcing them to parade tourists around on their backs. It's disgraceful the way that we have used animals for our own ambitions for so long.

My hope is that this sheds necessary light on Canada's failures in the animal welfare department, inevitably sparking change. We need a complete ban on the import of ivory and other animal trophies from endangered animals. We need to end the captivity of apes, elephants, and any animal that is endangered in the wild unless conservation and repopulation are the agenda. We have exploited animals for too long and Canada needs to step up and do the right thing. 

HAPPY VEG