- Target:
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
- Region:
- Canada
Over the last decade there have been a growing number of circumstances in which both bird watchers and bird photographers have been using mice purchased at pet stores in order to lure (or "bait") raptors (also known as birds of prey) closer to them for the purpose of either photography or observation.
The sole reason I am doing this is to protect the birds. My goal isn't to pit photographers against birders, as I belong to both groups. Some may argue that I should back up the petition with statistics, but here's the rub - there aren't any because nobody, ever, has ever baited birds to see just how many will be killed in circumstances surrounding baiting. My stipulation here isn't that the mice used to bait the birds kill the birds when they injest them; my stipulation is that the act of baiting isn't beneficial to raptors.
This petition is being created in hopes of adding a new law to the already existing Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (FWCA) of Ontario, 1997.
We, the undersigned, call on the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to add the following stipulation to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (FWCA) of Ontario, 1997.
I propose the following amendments be placed with respect to those birds identified in the Act as Schedule 7 “Specially Protected Birds (Raptors):
1. No person is permitted to “bait” a raptor identified in Schedule 7 of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (FWCA) of Ontario, 1997 as a Specially Protected Bird (Raptor) where baiting is defined as;
i. the placement of a recognized food source of the raptor within close proximity to the location of the raptor in an attempt to lure the raptor to a closer position relative to the baiter for the purposes of either a) observation or b) photography.
2. The above stipulation regarding baiting does not apply to the following circumstances and individuals:
i. licensed falconers who utilize bait in order to call or retrieve a raptor identified as a Schedule 7 Specially Protected Bird (Raptors) according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (FWCA) of Ontario, 1997 back to themselves;
ii. handlers of any bird identified as a Schedule 7 Specially Protected Bird (Raptors) according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (FWCA) of Ontario, 1997, who are involved in utilizing the specifically banded raptors for the purpose of education;
iii. the use of bait by a person authorized by the Ministry of Natural Resources as an individual who is engaged in the assistance, research, and rehabilitation of any birds identified as a Schedule 7 Specially Protected Bird (Raptors) according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (FWCA) of Ontario, 1997; and
iv. any use of a bird feeder on private or public property which utilizes seed in order to attract birds identified as “songbirds” in the Province of Ontario.
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The Cease the Baiting of Raptors in Ontario petition to Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources was written by Attila Papp and is in the category Animal Welfare at GoPetition.