Tragic tiger mauling should be wake-up call for Ontario
© WSPA
The death of Norman Buwalda, who was mauled by his pet tiger yesterday, is a tragedy that could have been prevented had the Province banned the keeping of dangerous exotic pets when it revised its animal protection law last year.
Ontario is the only province that does not require a licence to keep dangerous exotic animals. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) regrets the tragic loss of life that occurred and is calling on the Ontario government to implement licensing and prevent future deaths and injuries.
As a consequence of lax regulations, roughly 60 per cent of all Canadian zoos are in Ontario, and an estimated 500 exotic cats are kept as pets in the province. The vast majority of Ontario zoos are "roadside zoos", which keep animals in small, barren and unsafe enclosures.
"Anyone can keep a tiger or lion in their backyard and without any qualifications or training," says Melissa Matlow, Programs Officer for WSPA. While some municipalities have by-laws to prohibit the keeping of certain animals, WSPA says the patchwork of regulations is inadequate and the Province needs to step in.
Licensing exotic animals was a key recommendation made by WSPA that was ignored by the Province when it introduced captive wildlife standards under the revised OSPCA Act last year. Until the Province restricts the keeping of exotic animals, WSPA believes there will continue to be tragedies like the one in Southwold.
"Keeping a tiger on your property should be considered as dangerous as keeping a loaded gun," says Matlow, "and yet no agency is inspecting zoos and private animal collections to ensure they are safe."
Tiger mauling not the first incident in Ontario
In 2004, the tiger that killed Mr. Buwalda attacked a 10-year-old boy in the back of the head and neck, leaving serious injuries. There have been a number of escapes and people injured and killed in Ontario by exotic animals in zoos and private collections:
- A crocodile was captured in a storm-water pound in a London subdivision. Neighbours and police suspect the crocodile was a discarded pet. (London Free Press, September 28, 2009)
- A privately-owned serval escaped in Picton (The Intelligencer, July 3, 2007)
- Two separate incidents of visitors being attacked by lions at Colansanti's Tropical Gardens near Leamington (Windsor Star, January 26, 2006).
- An adult tiger escaped from Papanack Park Zoo near Ottawa. The cat was found on a nearby road (Canadian Press, September 28, 2005)
- A jaguar belonging to magician Claude Haggerty, who uses big cats in his show, escaped from his pen in Niagara Falls. The jaguar was on the loose for 6 hours before it died of a heart attack during its recapture. (Niagara Falls Review, November 15, 2003)
- 16-year-old employee mauled by a female lion while conducting a tour at Dornoch Zoo, in Grey County (Owen Sound Sun Times, September 3, 2003)
- A 500-pound tiger used for photo ops with small children and exotic dancers snapped her tether from a Pickering backyard and wandered in the streets near Toronto, alarming residents. More than half a dozen police cruisers and a helicopter were dispatched to locate and recapture the tiger. She was finally caught approximately 24 hours later. (Toronto Star, January 17, 2002)
- A tiger escaped at Bear Creek Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Barrie (Toronto Star and Toronto Sun, April 1, 1997)
- A serval escaped at Bergerons Exotic Animal Zoo (Kingston Whig Standard, July 30, 1999)
- Two tigers escaped at Lickety Split Ranch and Zoo in London (London Free Press, July 18, 1997)
- A 150 lb. cougar, purchased as a family pet, attacked a St. Thomas Ontario family’s two-year-old daughter after she wandered into the pen where her father was working with the animal. The girl sustained serious chest and back injuries. (London Free Press, August 28, 1996)
- A tiger attack resulted in the death of a 16 year old boy at a private display near Wiarton (Toronto Star, July 28, 1994)
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