Wildlife Working Group

Record of Decision
Teleconference with Wildlife NGOs

August 9, 2007 (1:00 -2:00pm Ottawa-time)

Participants:

David Brackett, Wildlife Habitat Canada
Leigh Edgar, Canadian Wildlife Federation
Barry Turner, Ducks Unlimited
Manjit Kerr-Upal, National Animal Health Strategy
Beth MacNeil, National Animal Health Strategy

Regrets

Julie Gelfand, Canadian Nature Federation
Anne Levésque, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
Thea Silver, Nature Conservancy of Canada
Terry Quinney, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
Jean Langlois, Sierra Club of Canada
Peter Ewins, World Wildlife Fund

Ken Harris, Environment Canada
Stephen Woodley, Parks Canada

Materials for Discussion/Information:

1. Presentation – “National Animal Health Strategy – CWDC July 31, 2007”
2. Wildlife Value Cycle
3. Summary Report, NAHS Multi-partner meeting, June 5-6 (English only)

Record of Discussion:

Agenda (in bold)

Administrative Housekeeping

• May 8, 2007 Record of Discussion was approved for posting on www.healthanimals.ca
  • The healthyanimals.ca website is expected to be functioning by August 31, 2007.

NAHS Objectives

• Add an objective: to demonstrate the economic importance of wildlife
  • The latest data for Canada is 1996. The initial estimates from the US Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that wildlife-related activities generated $120 billion (USD).

Definition of Wildlife:

• Animals that are free-ranging and not dependant on humans for food, shelter or other essential functions.
• For the purposes of the NAHS, wildlife includes introduced and indigenous species, as well as domestic animals that have become feral.
• The species of predominant concern to the NAHS are vertebrates: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

• Consensus that both aquatic and terrestrial species should be considered in definition of wildlife.
• Consensus that feral and invasive species be recognized as threats to wildlife health, not wildlife populations whose health should be ‘maintained or improved’.

Definition of Animal Health:

• “The state of a living organism, species, or population which can sustain biological functions to preserve its own integrity.”
  • The definition of “animal health” includes “animal welfare”

Definition of Wildlife Health:

• The capacity of a wild population to adapt to, respond to, or control environmental challenges and changes. (Marc Cattet, CCWHC)
• Difficulty with the reference to “control” in the definition of wildlife health.
• Concern about the ‘tipping’ point – what constitutes a wildlife population, from a animal welfare perspective.
• No clear preference between the two definitions.
  • If the animal health definition is used, prefer that the title read: “Animal (domestic and wild) Health”
• NAHS should consider the fact that if the NAHS is successful, wildlife populations will be healthier and likely more abundant.
  • More wildlife leads to more conflict with humans.
  • What needs to be in place in the future to manage the size of these wildlife populations (hunting populations, bag limits, enforcement capabilities)
  • Provinces generally ahead of the federal government (ie renewal of the BC Wildlife Act)

Definition of Animal Welfare:

• The state of an animal when it is in harmony with its environment and its physical health, and behavioural needs are fulfilled in accordance with expert opinion and scientific knowledge.
  • In terms of wildlife, welfare extends to individual wild animals only when humans interact with wild populations (i.e. hunting/trapping, research, population management, habitat change, supplemental feeding)

• Recognition that animal welfare issues are very contentious issues.
  • Wildlife population levels are naturally cyclic and that the public may perceive welfare issues as overabundant populations are naturally reducing in size.
  • Education and communication will be important to explain the special considerations with respect to wildlife populations.
• Consensus that competing standards not be developed.
• The CCAC standards were referenced in the humane trapping debate.
• There is a Bill (C22) in parliament relating to Cruelty to Animals.

Action: NAHS will share information on welfare issues as they arise, in regard to other animal sectors.

NAHS to distribute the CCAC Guidelines on: the Care and Use of Wildlife (2003) as background material for information.

• This document was not signed off by Ministers, but is a tool that is widely used. Organizations may choose to align themselves with it.

NAHS to review the Bill C22, particularly its definitions of animal welfare.

NAHS will analyze how welfare issues, particularly those related to wildlife, are handled in the animal health strategies of other countries (i.e. UK, Ireland, Australia). NAHS to distribute findings to ENGOs.

Documenting wildlife values: social, cultural, ecological and economical

Action: Participants were asked to forward any provincial documentation to Manjit Kerr-Upal, National Animal Health Strategy Team. Any reports documenting the interactions of wildlife with animal health and public health would also be appreciated.

Who are the key NGOs to engage from a NAHS-wildlife perspective?

• No comment (out of time).

• All suggestions are welcome. Please contact Manjit Kerr-Upal (kerrupalm@inspection.gc.ca) at the National Animal Health Strategy with any ideas.

Proposed Next Steps – Key scope issues for wildlife:

• Pollinators (particularly with respect to their value to agriculture)
• Country/wild foods
  • PHAC and/or Health Canada should have a role (note from NAHS: they are developing a Food Safety Strategy which does not deal with country/wild foods)
• Marine mammals
• Feral animals (as a threat to wildlife health)
• Fisheries and aquaculture

Proposed Next Steps:

• Preference is to keep folks informed via email.
  • Not averse to another teleconference, but only if necessary.
• Attendance of ENGOs was requested at the September 18-19, 2007 NAHS workshop in Gatineau, Quebec.

Next teleconference

Not scheduled.