Roadside Zoo in Quebec Canada Busted for Cruelty

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The owner of the Zoo St-Edouard in Quebec is charged with neglect and cruelty to animals under Canadian Criminal Code after the Montreal SPCA and other animal welfare groups seized over 100 wild & exotic animals from the property.

A bear sits alone in a desolate enclosure at the St-Edouard Zoo. Photo Taken from World Animal News

Upon touring the property, there were several instances of neglect and cruelty that were apparent. Among these instances, animals were found to be kept in dark, desolate enclosures, some were found without proper shelter from the elements and without access to water or food, and there were cases of animals exhibiting mental / emotional problems seen pacing in their enclosures. All of this and more lead to the charges brought upon the owner of the St-Eduoard zoo.

Roadside zoos often slip under the radar because they lack proper registration and licences to operate or be in possession of exotic or wild animals. These zoos typically lack veterinary care or the education on how to properly care for these animals which leads to them being in states of distress constantly. It also leads to the animals being kept in adequate enclosures, alone, and without proper access to food or water. These zoos exploit and profit off of these animals without any of the money going towards real initiatives like conservation of a species which is the worst kind of operation. Without the accreditation to operate legally and with general concern for conservation or other charitable intentions, these zoos are no different than the circus or places like Sea World where animals are forced to perform for our entertainment and are often kept in horrid conditions. 

All of the animals seized will head to sanctuaries where they will be properly cared for and remain under the protection of people who have their best interests at heart. Thank goodness for the tireless efforts of these animal welfare groups because without them, these roadside attractions would continue to profit off of the suffering of animals. The fact is, roadside zoos never have the best interests of the animals in mind when they operate and people continue to stop by and unknowingly pay for these animals to continue to suffer.

Photo taken from World Animal News

I implore each and every one of you to take note of these sorts of attractions should you pass them on your travels and notify the local Humane Society. There is a very good chance that animal welfare groups simply are unaware of them and chances are, should they investigate them, they would likely discover animal cruelty and neglect. It's so important to expose these places so that these animals can be sent to sanctuaries where they will be taken care of. As I said, make note of where you spot these places and always notify your local animal welfare groups so that they may take it upon themselves to further investigate.

HAPPY VEG