Search Results for: wildlife
2018 Media Releases
- Plan Your Visit to the Ottawa Humane Society This Season by First Checking Holiday Hours (December 18, 2018)
- Keep Your Furry Friends Safe This Holiday Season With the 12 Pet Safety Tips of Christmas (December 12, 2018)
- Ottawa Humane Society to Hold Microchip Clinic Sunday, Dec. 9 (December 4, 2018)
- Santa Paws is Coming to Town! (November 26, 2018)
- Protect Pets From Dangerously Cold Temperatures Forecast to Hit Ottawa Tonight (November, 21, 2018
- Surprise Your Kids This Holiday Season With a Pet and Make a Homeless Animal’s Dreams Come True (November 19, 2018)
- Owners of Injured Young Dog Found (November 14, 2018)
- Humane Society Seeking Owners of Injured Young Dog (November 13, 2018)
- Get ready to howl for Howl-O-Ween at the OHS! (October 25, 2018)
- Pet-Adoptathon Weekend at Pet Valu Merivale (September 27, 2018)
- Hill’s and OHS Help Families Feed Pets after Tornado Tragedy (September 26, 2018)
- Ottawa Humane Society Tornado Aftermath (September 24, 2018)
- Northern Pets Need Community Support (September 20, 2018)
- Ottawa Humane Society to Hold Microchip Clinic Sunday, Sept. 16 (September 11, 2018)
- OHS Kitty Crisis Stabilized: Now Helping with Crisis in Windsor (August 24, 2018)
- Ottawa Humane Society Kitty Crisis Continues (August 15, 2018)
- OHS to benefit from Nissan’s Dog Days of Summer Campaign (August 10, 2018)
- Canada Day 2018: the perfect pet storm (June 28, 2018)
- Ottawa Humane Society to Hold Microchip Clinic Sunday, June 10 (June 5, 2018)
- Update on 30 Cats and Kittens Abandoned at Pest Control Company (May 25, 2018)
- 30 Cats and Kittens Abandoned at Pest Control Company (May 25, 2018)
- Ottawa Humane Society to Hold Microchip Clinic Sunday, April 8 (April 3, 2018)
- Celebrate A Hoppy Easter With the Animals This Sunday at the Ottawa Humane Society! (March 19, 2019)
- Ottawa Humane Society to Hold Microchip Clinic Sunday, March 11 (March 6, 2018)
- Join us for National Cupcake Day 2018 and really bake a difference for Ottawa’s animals! (February, 23, 2018)
- The Temperature May Be Rising, But Danger Still Awaits Cats Left Out In The Cold (February 22, 2018)
- This February, There’s Love in the Air at the Ottawa Humane Society (February 5, 2018)
- Ottawa Humane Society to Hold Microchip Clinic Sunday, Jan. 14 (January 9, 2018)
- Important Animal Welfare Update: Statement From the Ottawa Humane Society (January 2, 2018)
The End of Fur?
I listen to CBC almost exclusively when I drive. In the morass of bad news, from time to time, there is something that gives me hope. Just a few days ago, there was a segment on the last fur auction in Canada. Apparently, there used to be several very large auctions in Canada, but these have dwindled to just one — and this one isn’t doing very well. The North Bay-based Fur Harvesters Auction is the only place left where trappers can sell wild-caught fur in North America, and one of just a handful worldwide. Only 30 per cent of the fur offered at its March auction was sold. The pandemic was certainly a factor, but even industry insiders admitted that younger people mostly won’t touch fur and many major designers and department stores won’t sell it.
The time of fur may be finally ending. I am celebrating. In a world rife with all sorts of cruelty to animals, the fur industry is uniquely odious.
Fur may come from either trapped wildlife or “farmed” animals. It’s hard to tell which is worse.
Over 730,000 wild animals are trapped in Canada annually. The methods are horrific. Wire noose snares can crush organs or slowly strangle an animal to death. Body gripping traps can trap animals underwater until they slowly drown. Animals caught in leg hold traps try to chew or twist off their trapped limb in a desperate attempt to free themselves. If a trapper does not immediately kill the animal — sometimes by bludgeoning, choking or stomping — the animal can die from dehydration, blood loss or hypothermia. Traps are indiscriminate, which means nearly any animal whose feet touch the ground can trigger them — whether it’s an endangered species like the Mexican wolf or a family dog.
Wildlife accounts for only a fraction of the industry. Many more animals suffer in fur “farms” where animals are often killed by anal and vaginal electrocution, gas, neck breaking and poison injections.
Farmed animals often show extreme abnormal behaviours as a result of great distress caused by the extremely small cages they are housed in. Farmed foxes and mink have been observed with extreme fear responses, including fur biting and tail biting — to the point of removing the tail altogether. Some foxes have even been noted to kill their offspring.
Let’s not forget China where there’s a thriving cat- and dog-fur industry. Cats and dogs are bludgeoned, hanged and sometimes even skinned alive for their fur. Their fur is often mislabeled and exported from China to unsuspecting consumers around the world.
Perhaps people are finally fully recognizing the loathsome cruelty inherent in the fur industry and are appreciating the beauty of fur — when it is on an animal.
Bruce Roney
President & CEO
Will You be an Animal Advocate?
Many people have asked me over the years, “What is the difference between a humane society and an SPCA?” The answer is, today, functionally there is no difference. Most humane societies and SPCAs do similar work and have similar missions and mandates. Best I can tell, the names are different for historical reasons; SPCAs were founded solely to protect animals, while humane societies were founded with a broader mandate of protecting animals and children. This is the case for the Ottawa Humane Society who worked for the welfare of children as well, until the Children’s Aid Society was founded 12 years after the OHS came into being.
I like to remind people, we aren’t the dog and cat society, we’re the humane society. Though today, the day-to-day focus of the OHS is pets: dogs, cats and the little ones and their welfare issues, we remain concerned about all animals: livestock, wildlife, and animals in captivity as well as domestic pets. While we aren’t generally out in the field, building awareness and leading change for the welfare of all animals is a part of our mandate. The primary way we bring attention to these issues is through our monthly e-bulletin, the Animal Advocate.
The Animal Advocate shines a light on such issues as conditions in zoos and circuses, the welfare of livestock, and diminishing wildlife habitats and what you can do to help. If these are issues you’re concerned about, you can scroll down a bit on our website and sign up to receive the Animal Advocate. If you’re not sure, you can check out back issues.
You too can be an advocate for the animals — all animals.
Bruce Roney
President & CEO
Killing with Kindness
The story of two Canadian tourists visiting Yellowstone National Park and “saving” a young bison calf by putting it in the back of their SUV and taking it to a ranger station has gone viral. I hope it becomes a lesson for everyone.
Most of us would feel sick if they killed a healthy young animal by mistake. Here is the thing, people do it all the time. Every spring, all over North America, people pick up juvenile wildlife that don’t need their help. They bring them to a humane society or other authority whose only option is to euthanize the poor creature.
That is what happened to the bison. On May 16, Yellowstone National Park officials announced a baby bison had to be euthanized after a pair of Canadian tourists put the animal in their car. The two feared it was cold, despite warmer-than-average temperatures.
“The bison calf was later euthanized because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway,” park officials said in a press release.
Officials tried numerous times to re-integrate the young bison back into the herd, but it was rejected.”
The story of the baby bison spread fast on social media, prompting people to demand to know why the young bison hadn’t been sent to a rehabilitation centre.
Officials responded on the park’s Facebook page: “In order to ship the calf out of the park, it would have had to go through months of quarantine to be monitored for brucellosis. No approved quarantine facilities exist at this time, and we don’t have the capacity to care for a calf that’s too young to forage on its own.”
In the scale of the natural world, I know this is a very small event. And I know the tourists were concerned and meant no harm. But they did harm and this little tragedy could have been avoided, along with the dozens of little tragedies that well-meaning people in Ottawa will present the Ottawa Humane Society with this spring.
You can help. Spread the word. Unless you know for sure that juvenile wildlife needs help, such as if you can confirm the death of the mother, take our advice: if you care, leave them there.
Bruce Roney
Executive Director
Inclusive Presentations
Our in-person humane education presentations for special education classes, alternative schools, and all M.F. McHugh Education Centre program classes will be returning in Fall 2024! Join the interest list below to be notified when registration re-opens.
Our Humane Education school program is inclusive, and appropriate for children and youth of all abilities. All presentations are customizable to suit the learning needs of your students.
Presentations are 1-hour in length, and whenever possible include a visit with an OHS program dog.
Why Teach Humane Education in the Classroom?
Humane Education delves into something that all kids love — animals! The OHS’s Humane Education Program:
- Promotes and encourages character development by promoting respect and empathy toward people, animals and the environment;
- Provides the knowledge and understanding necessary for children to resolve conflict situations and make responsible choices;
- Fosters a sense of responsibility on the part of children to make choices and act upon their personal beliefs.
COST: All humane education presentations are complimentary and intended to aid current curriculums. We happily accept donations — both financial and in-kind. For in-kind donation ideas, please visit our Wish List.
Click the link here to be notified when registration re-opens in Fall 2024.
Get to Know Your Wild Neighbours
If you find a sick or injured wild animal, here are the steps you can take. If you need more help, call the City of Ottawa at 311.
From the squirrel that raids your birdfeeder to the foxes that frisk in the distance, learn about these creatures and their habits to make peaceful coexistence easier.
Live trapping may seem like an immediate and easy fix to your wildlife problem; however, it is only a temporary solution. Find out why trapping and relocating is a bad idea.
If you can’t find the answer to your wildlife question and it’s not an emergency, contact the Ottawa Humane Society at 613-725-3166 ext. 223, or send us an email.
Classroom Presentations
Free virtual presentations for elementary, intermediate and high school students!
Why Teach Humane Education in the Classroom?
Humane Education delves into something that all kids love — animals! The OHS’s Humane Education Program:
- promotes and encourages character development by promoting respect and empathy toward people, animals and the environment;
- provides the knowledge and understanding necessary for children to resolve conflict situations and make responsible choices;
- fosters a sense of responsibility on the part of children to make choices and act upon their personal beliefs.
Our virtual Humane Education program is inclusive, and appropriate for children and youth of all abilities. Each presentation lasts approximately 45 minutes, and students will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage with the presenter. Presentations also include a live virtual animal visit!
COST: All humane education presentations are complimentary and intended to aid current curriculums. We happily accept donations — both financial and in-kind. For in-kind donation ideas, please visit our Wish List.
Welcome Back: Programs Reopening
This morning, I got to do something I haven’t been able to do for a year and a half: I greeted a volunteer. She was so happy and so was I. During the pandemic, to protect our staff and thereby our ability to care for animals, all but our super-essential foster volunteer program were suspended. Slowly, though, volunteers are returning and it’s wonderful!
Last week, I wrote about the Shirley Kearns Memorial Adoption Centre reopening to visitors on September 8, and the life it will breathe into the OHS. But the OHS is much more than the adoption, centre and there are many other programs that need to be revived.
Of course, the new programs that were launched during and because of the pandemic: the Emergency Pet Food Bank and Partner Support Program will continue for the foreseeable future. Some other programs were moved online. Our Pet Loss Support Group will remain virtual for the coming months, as many participants have preferred this model. The OHS Scouts/Guides Program has continued successfully online and so we have not yet identified a date to resume in-person. Seminars will remain online until November.
Other programs offered on-site will require staff training and re-training and confidence in our ability to offer them safely, and so will be re-launched over time.
The OHS Newcomers Program, helping those who are new to the country navigate urban wildlife and pets in Canada, is expected to resume in fall 2021 for adults and in January 2022 for children.
Obedience Classes are expected to be available in-person in October and Pet First Aid Classes are expected to be available in late fall.
Pet Savvy, the OHS’s educational program for low-income pet owners, will restart in January 2022 and we are planning to resume the LEAD program for at-risk youth in November 2021.
Registration for programs for teens — the OHS Animal Advocate Program, Leadership Camp and Apprenticeship Program — is expected to resume in December 2021. For younger children and youth, the OHS is planning to resume school-based humane education programming and animal welfare clubs in January 2022.
Because of the unknowns associated with the Delta variant in children, camps and birthday parties as well as field trips and child and youth tours will remain on hold until January 2022, with adult tours planned to resume in December 2021.
Sadly, for the safety of our staff and clients, and to comply with restrictions from the province and Ottawa Public Health, the Mobile Spay/Neuter Service will remain suspended for the time-being. We are eagerly planning to resume this important service safely as soon as possible.
Because of concern about the ongoing risk to seniors, at this time, we don’t have a planned date for when Brightening Lives Animal Visits or Seniors Days at the shelter will resume.
The pandemic has taken a toll on all of us. It has affected every part of our lives. It has affected the OHS and our plans to build a caring and compassionate community. I can’t wait to get back to those plans, because right now they are needed more than ever.
Bruce Roney
President & CEO
Now that We Know Better
When I began working at the Ottawa Humane Society 22 years ago and for quite a few years after, the board, staff and volunteers were predominately white, with ancestry in the British Isles. To be honest, for many years, I had naively assumed this was a cultural phenomenon. That is, I had assumed that other cultures in Canada just weren’t that interested in dogs and cats, nor the welfare of wildlife and livestock.
But the past few years — especially with the Black Lives Matter and Truth and Reconciliation movements — have been eye-opening. It has never been clearer that we must take a hard look at ourselves, challenge our assumptions, and do better for our staff, volunteers and community.
In March of 2021, I presented a plan to the board of directors to foster diversity, equity and inclusion at the OHS. The plan covered such areas as our public presentation of ourselves, our recruitment practices and diversity on the board itself.
In preparation for the plan, I consulted with the staff we did employ who I identified as diverse. That was my first mistake. I now understand that I should have asked people to self-identify. Yet, out of this, I learned a second important lesson. One staff member who had recently been hired told me that she had serious reservations about applying because we didn’t have a diversity statement on our website. It had never occurred to me that simple thing could be so powerful. Frankly, I thought diversity statements were often disingenuous marketing ploys. Again, I was wrong.
When we posted a diversity statement we truly believed in, our organization began to change, and quickly. Today, the OHS staff and board have become more representative of the community we serve, and we are much better for it.
Though we have made progress, we are certainly not done. To be real and meaningful, we can’t complete the plan as a checklist of tasks. We need to absorb new ideas, make mistakes, fix them, and grow in our minds and in our actions. We need to learn from others. As Maya Angelou wrote, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
Bruce Roney
President & CEO
Coming Together for Ottawa’s Cats
The issue of homeless cats is one that Ottawa and the Ottawa Humane Society have constantly grappled with.
I have seen the terrible things that happen to cats left to fend for themselves. Killed by predators, maimed by vehicles, succumbing to the elements, disease and starvation. These cats are often brought to the OHS, but often it is too late.
With the support of our community, the OHS has taken many steps to address cat homelessness — from our Mobile Spay/Neuter Service and microchip clinics, to marketing and education campaigns on pet safety and identification.
But so many cats still come to the OHS, and our partners see the same trend. We have to do more. Yesterday, the OHS brought together community partners interested in curbing cat homelessness, and hosted a first-ever Community Cat Summit.
Led by renowned wildlife biologist Dr. John Boone, the summit explored how we can compassionately and effectively end Ottawa’s cycle of homeless cats.
Ending cat homelessness is a complex problem, but one we — with our partners’ and community’s support — believe we can solve.
While there were many important takeaways from Dr. Boone’s presentation, the most heart-wrenching was that the greatest victims — and those least seen — are the many young kittens born outside who suffer and lead lives that are cut horribly short.
Together, we must change people’s views on cats in our community and our responsibility to these animals. We must support efforts for sterilization, and for providing a safe world for cats to live in: either indoors, or outdoors safely supervised by their owner. Until then, too many cats will continue to suffer. I learned a lot from the summit and I started getting even more excited about how the OHS can work together with the community to save cats. It’s another step in a long journey, but one that is so worthwhile.
Lindsey Marcon
Manager: Community Services