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Two recent decisions taken by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) are threatening the operation of wildlife rehabilitation centres in the province, particularly in Eastern Ontario. Enforcement of these decisions led to the Ministry’s seizure of 34 raccoons and one skunk from the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre (OCWC) in August. The CFHS has joined with the Ontario SPCA and the OCWC to oppose the Ministry’s rules and heavy-handed tactics in seizing animals from the Ottawa facility.
The first issue is a Ministry rule that requires all rescued wildlife to be released within one kilometre of where they were found. This rule is completely justified and necessary for wildlife removal companies or individuals who trap and relocate adult wildlife that have entered buildings. However, it is impractical and inhumane for orphaned, baby animals, which make up the majority of animals received by wildlife rehabilitation centres. For this reason, the OMNR has not enforced the one-kilometre rule.
The OCWC explains that most baby animals, including raccoons, squirrels, skunks and fox, come into wildlife centres alone or in pairs. They are subsequently placed in family-size groups of four to five animals to learn socialization and species-specific behaviour. They are also vaccinated and kept well beyond disease incubation periods. The Ministry’s one-kilometre rule would require animals to be separated and returned alone to a busy and inappropriate site where they are not wanted, where there is no post-release care and no chance of survival.
The second issue is the July decision by the OMNR to expand the rabies high-risk zone to include the Ottawa area, despite the fact that the closest case of raccoon rabies was about 40 kms south of the city in 1999. Additionally, just six weeks before the Ministry announced its decision to expand the high-risk zone, its own rabies report clearly illustrated that raccoon rabies in eastern Ontario is declining and moving farther away from the city of Ottawa, not closer.
The expanded high-risk zone prevents wildlife rehabilitators from taking in any rabies-vector species, including raccoons, foxes and skunks. This will inevitably result in residents attempting to care for these animals on their own, thus creating a serious threat to public safety. Donna Dubreuil, President of the OCWC, feels that the Ministry’s actions are unjustified and unreasonable. She explains that “wildlife rehabilitation centres provide a first line of defence against rabies by minimizing contact between people and wildlife.” She also states that the OCWC “releases vaccinated animals back into the environment, and works closely with local health authorities and veterinarians.”
The Ministry should consider the experience of other jurisdictions in North America. Twenty out of twenty-one states in the eastern time zone in the US have either changed their previous policy to allow the rehabilitation of rabies vector species or never prohibited it in the first place. Legislation in the state of New York acknowledges that “authorizing wildlife rehabilitators to perform this function is infinitely preferable to the practice where well-intentioned but untrained citizens put themselves at risk by handling rabies vector species.”
The OCWC and the CFHS are concerned about the fate of the animals seized from the Ottawa facility. Although the Ministry has agreed to keep the animals for observation, there have been contradictory reports from the Ministry on their fate. In September, the CFHS requested permission to inspect the facility where the animals are being kept, to ensure they are receiving appropriate care. No response has yet been received from the Ministry.
To voice your concerns about this issue, you may wish to write to the Minister of Natural Resources at:
The Honourable Jerry Ouellette
Minister of Natural Resources
Whitney Block, 6th Floor
99 Wellesley Street West
Toronto, ON
M7A 1W3
Shelagh MacDonald is CFHS Program Director
