Do You Care About How Animals Are Treated?

(29/5/07 - E) Send a message to Ontario, Canada asking for better standards about how animals are kept, including Tyson the kangaroo

Our Victorian contact said:

"No doubt you would have read the recent article in the Herald Sun where Tyson the kangaroo is living in appalling conditions in the freezing cold. We heard on the radio that the animal welfare people are pushing to ban these roadside zoos. The World Society for the Protection of Animals [WSPA] has a website (details below) and it would be very much appreciated if you could get as many people as possible to send emails to the Canadian Premier and the Tourism Minister as soon as possible as we believe the parliament is going into recess shortly. We give below an excerpt from the WSPA website (www.ontariozoos.ca) which explains the situation."

"Ontario stands out as the worst jurisdiction in Canada when it comes to ensuring the proper care of captive wildlife. With few regulations in place, the province makes it far too easy for residents to collect wild animals and house them in small ramshackle cages.

Kept in a barren cage, the size of a single car garage, Tyson does not have enough space to jump like a normal red kangaroo. All he has is a patch of dirt and a metal shed to sleep in. This is the life he has endured for the past six years because the government refuses to protect captive wildlife.

Ontario does not regulate the keeping of exotic wild animals in zoos. Residents do not even need a licence to keep a tiger, kangaroo or any other animal that is not native to the province, and they can keep them in any condition they see fit.

For the animals imprisoned in these cages, life is miserable. Not a life at all really, but a life sentence. You have the power to change their lives!

Please help animals like Tyson who are suffering in small, barren cages.

Send a letter to the Ontario Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and Minister of Tourism (Jim Bradley). Ask them to pass regulations to ensure all Ontario zoos meet professional welfare and public safety standards.

Messages can be sent to:

Hon. Dalton McGuinty
Premier of Ontario
Fax: 1-416-325-7578
Email: dalton.mcguinty@premier.gov.on.ca

Hon. Jim Bradley
Ontario Minister of Tourism
Fax 1-416-326-9338
Email: jbradley.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Don't have time?
Send a quick message to the Premier through the World Society for the Protection of Animals' auto emailer, http://www.ontariozoos.ca/Tourist/default.htm We encourage you to personalize the letter to express how you feel about the conditions Tyson is being kept in.”

Disgusting Death Of Kangaroo At Macedon

(16/7/06 - E) Shot and left for dead - at least, we wish it had been shot dead...

Someone is shooting kangaroos in the pine plantations around Macedon. This week someone shot a kangaroo, but didn't kill it. A wildlife carer was called out to put the disabled kangaroo down after who knows how long it had survived being shot. Unfortunately, dogs got to the wounded animal before the carer, who then had to deal with what was left of the still-alive kangaroo.

MRRA Says:

Sickening, isn't it? We hear the carer, someone who regularly deals with kangaroos and other animals hit by cars or tangled in fences, was terribly upset with this one. It's not the first example of dog attacks on injured wildlife MRRA has heard of either (and we've all seen what dogs do to sheep and other livestock). We don't know how you stop irresponsible shooters (although we hear it isn't hard to get permission from DSE to 'cull' wildlife), but perhaps if we as a community took more responsibility for our domestic pets' behaviour, took a little more care with how we drive, thought more about the impacts of our human activities on the wildlife most of us value, if we condemned the practice of pot-shotting wildlife and were more willing to share what we have with them, we could reduce the pain for these animals and see more of them survive. They were here first - we are the invaders. Please think carefully about it.

MRRA Says ‘Well Done’ As Council Supports Macedon Ranges’ Wildlife

(21/7/05 – C) DSE Licensed Wildlife Carers Can Now Apply For $1,000 Annual Funding

Congratulations all round! Firstly congratulations to MRRA Treasurer Rosemary Homewood. Rosemary’s submission to Council’s budget has resulted in DSE licensed wildlife carers now being able to apply to Council for $1,000 funding per shelter per year. The funding is to subsidize the work carers do rescuing and looking after our native wildlife. And congratulations to Macedon Ranges Council for supporting our wildlife and our hard-working carers. Forms and letters will go out to nominated shelters this week. Closing date for funding applications to be lodged with Council is 31st August, 2005.