Shocking animal cruelty exposed at Papanack Zoo, Ottawa

Papanack is a roadside zoo in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. Let’s just think about that for a minute. In the capital of Canada there is a zoo where animals are routinely abused; damn it, I’d say some are tortured. This is part of the story. Perhaps more serious is the fact that Ontario is the roadside zoo capital of Canada. It has the worst zoo laws in the country. Laughably, the new Papanack Zoo management installed in 2014 say they are concerned about wildlife conservation!

Animal Justice tell us that hairstylists need a licence to do business in Canada but anybody can open a zoo without a licence or government oversight. Apparently there are no regulations or laws which allow the authorities to shut down a zoo no matter how bad it is with respect animal welfare. Clearly there’s a huge hole in the Canadian law regarding animal welfare at zoos. Shame on them really. Canada is a very advanced country, I had thought. But if they allow animals to be treated like this I’m afraid it cannot be said to be advanced.

The video is shocking but thank you Animal Justice. It is difficult to view. Please try and view some of it at least because it gives us a flavor of what goes on at this zoo. I’ve watched about half of it and then stopped. I sense that the workers at the zoo have completely the wrong attitude towards animals. One of the men told the interviewer that they lie about how they acquire very young animals. They steal them from their mothers in the wild which is very, very cruel.

You will see in the video bobcats demonstrating stark and disturbing repetitive behaviour. This is horrific to see because it indicates high levels of stress and perhaps mental illness due to being confined to a small cage for a very long time.

There is also an animated gif on this page showing a raccoon being maltreated while being photographed. This looks horrific too. The mentality of these individuals is appalling and completely unsuitable for people dealing with animals.

As I understand it Papanack zoo staff work with animals for the Canadian television show called Billy Goes North. We are told by Animal Justice that a raccoon, skunk and bobcat were prodded and their mouths forced open as shown in the animated gif for a photo shoot for the reality television show Billy Goes North.

Animal abuse by Papanack zoo staff
Animal abuse by Papanack zoo staff
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

We are also told that zoo management admit to beating a baby lion and as mentioned stealing animals from their mothers. These young animals are used as props in selfies as shown in the montage of photographs on this page.

Young animals used as props for selfies at Papanack Zoon Ottawa
Young animals used as props for selfies at Papanack Zoon Ottawa

There are calls for this abomination of a zoo to be shut down and for viewers to boycott Bill Goes North. There are also calls for the zoo laws of Ontario to be tightened up – please demand that Ontario regulate zoos. The video shows the worst of human behaviour in their relationship with animals. It’s about animal abuse for financial profit. There is little or no regard for animal welfare. Shameful and unforgiveable.

P.S. Why can’t the authorities prosecute under general animal welfare laws? There are probably exceptions for zoos.

Twitter feed on Papanack Zoo Cruelty.

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