TORONTO—Animal Justice is suing the Ontario government over its decision to issue licences which appear to allow penned dog hunting facilities to operate in violation of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.
In the lawsuit, Animal Justice is asking the Court to void three licences that appear to allow facility owners to release English foxhounds, American foxhounds, coonhounds, bloodhounds and harriers in pens in which red foxes are used as bait, allowing dogs of these breeds to terrorize foxes as they track and chase them for “training” as well as in competitions for prizes. Regulations under the Act prohibit using these larger breeds of dogs in penned hunting contests (or “trials”) where red foxes are bait, unless the facility meets size requirements, which these three facilities do not.
When Ontario bowed to hunting extremists and reversed a previous decision of the Mike Harris government to phase out this cruel bloodsport in the 1990s, the government justified the move by pointing to “strict standards” that would be enforced to protect animals. Yet these three licences appear to allow the use of these larger dog breeds to hunt red foxes in pens in contests contrary to those regulations.
In penned hunting facilities, dogs regularly catch captive wild animals, injuring, mauling, and even killing them. Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada that allows facilities to keep wild animals, including coyotes, foxes, and hares, in fenced-in areas to be used to “train” hunting dogs. Because of the cruelty involved, the archaic practice is also banned in most U.S. states.
In public, participants claim that captive wildlife are safe from injury. However, a 2023 Animal Justice investigation revealed that dogs regularly injure, maim, and maul terrified wild animals who have no way to escape. The investigation also documented hunters admitting that pen owners have to bring in new wild animals to restock the pens, because dogs catch them throughout the year.
Additionally, documents obtained by Animal Justice through a Freedom of Information request also suggest that no penned hunting facilities in the province have been inspected for approximately two years.
“There are so few laws to protect animals used for penned dog hunting in Ontario; the least the government can do is uphold and enforce them,” said Kaitlyn Mitchell, lawyer and director of legal advocacy at Animal Justice. “We have been fighting to oppose the cruel penned hunting industry for years and now we hope that the Court will intervene to void these licences, which appear to allow penned fox hunting contests with these prohibited dog breeds, increasing the risk that foxes will be caught and ripped apart when chased by larger and faster dogs.”
In 2023, Animal Justice and Coyote Watch Canada filed an application for review under the Environmental Bill of Rights, asking the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to revoke regulations passed by the Ford government to expand penned hunting in Ontario but the Ministry refused. The groups have also worked to highlight significant zoonotic disease risks posed by these facilities.
Contact:
Josh Lynn
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
Kaitlyn Mitchell
Director of Legal Advocacy
[email protected]