A good time to be a city critter

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/09/2021 (1680 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SEEMS like good times are ahead for animals in Winnipeg. Sadly, animals outside of the city are not so lucky.

A draft city bylaw elevates the level of care that must be given to animals, but council’s jurisdiction is limited to the city and won’t improve the inhumane conditions suffered by millions of Manitoba hogs, cattle and chickens.

The proposed bylaw mandates animals within the city get treatment that is far more compassionate than required under previous animal regulations in Winnipeg. In fact, animals would be treated better than some Winnipeggers, including those people sleeping rough in bus shelters and on riverbanks beside grocery carts containing their worldly possessions.

The honour-our-animals proposal before Winnipeg council is based on a concept called the Five Freedoms, which began in the United Kingdom in 1965. In part, it aims to give animals “… freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment …freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions which avoid mental suffering… freedom to express normal behaviour in the company of the animal’s own kind… freedom from pain by rapid diagnosis and treatment (of sickness).”

The boost in the legal status of city animals will be enthusiastically supported by Winnipeg’s owners of dogs, cats, reptiles and birds. These people already adore their pets enough to devote the necessary time, energy and money to be human support services for their animals.

The bonds of affection between many Winnipeggers and their pets increased in the past 19 months of off-and-on lockdowns. Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin can take away our recreational outings, our jobs and our social connections, but even he can’t take away our pet therapy.

Our enthusiastic appreciation for household animals — a woman walking two dogs at Kilcona Off-leash Dog Park was spotted wearing a T-shirt that said “You can’t buy love, but you can rescue it” — means pet owners will be big fans of the draft Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw. It bans 24-7 tethering and dog-house confinements, meaning Rex gets to sleep indoors during winter. It regulates dog daycares. It reduces the number of unwanted pets by mandating spaying and neutering for most dogs and cats without breeding permits.

The bylaw goes beyond household pets, however. It also introduces big restrictions on how Winnipeggers can treat wildlife within the city.

It proposes banning the feeding of animals such as rabbits, fox and deer. This is aimed at people who mistakenly believe they are helping wild animals by giving them treats, a practice that causes the recipients to lose their natural fear of urban civilization and increases the chance the animals will end their lives pasted on the grills of speeding motor vehicles.

The bylaw bans the outdoor use of some rodenticide poisons, leghold traps and glue traps that attach the animals to strong adhesive until they die from dehydration. No one likes the sight of panic-stricken rodents struggling on glue traps, but sympathy might not be immediately forthcoming from homeowners facing the high cost of opening up household walls to evict nests of mice or squirrels that have taken up residence.

Meanwhile, down on the farm, there’s no such coddling for Manitoba’s 3.4 million pigs, one million cattle and innumerable chickens. The livestock is being raised in conditions that prize efficiency and profit over the tender loving care that city council will be asked to legislate for city animals.

Animal activists who have infiltrated factory farms report conditions that seem cruel, with animals spending their whole lives crammed into cages without room to turn around, often urinating and defecating on each other. The contrast is jarring — the animals that supply our dinner tables are raised in conditions that would be considered inhumane and even illegal for animals within the city limits of Winnipeg.

Winnipeg deserves support for trying to improve animal welfare but, sadly, its jurisdiction stops at the city limits.

It’s provincial politicians who would be responsible for improving conditions within Manitoba’s animal agriculture. During the campaign leading up to the 2023 provincial election, candidates from all parties should be asked repeatedly for their plan to improve conditions on Manitoba’s factory farms.

The animals can’t advocate for themselves; they depend on people to speak up for them.

carl.degurse@freepress.mb.ca

Carl DeGurse is a member of the Free Press editorial board.