Councillors propose letting animals stay at Third Line zoo until they die

With the City of Sault Ste, Marie poised to outlaw circuses and zoos, two municipal councillors are proposing that the controversial Spruce Haven zoo be exempted from the zoo ban, allowing "the natural demise of the aging animals currently at the park."

Ward 1 Councillor Steve Butland and his Ward 2 counterpart Susan Myers want to give the Spruce Haven owners a break because they've committed to winding down zoo operations and promise not to accept any new animals.

"For over 30 years the owners of Spruce Haven Nature Park have accepted and cared for sick and injured animals brought to them by residents of Sault Ste. Marie as refuge when no other options existed," Butland and Myers say in a resolution presented at Monday night's City Council meeting.

The zoo has also conducted hundreds of educational outings for area schools.

A draft bylaw, also presented to City Council on Monday, would render the zoo illegal.

The Butland/Myers resolution calls for an exemption or 'grandfathering' of Spruce Haven in return for a written agreement that there be no further expansion of zoo operations on Third Line West.

The controversial zoo and attempts to close it are attracting considerable attention outside the city.

Three out-of-town presentations were originally scheduled for Monday's council meeting.

Julie Woodyer, campaigns director for Toronto-cased Zoocheck Canada, Andrew Lentini, chair of the ethics and compliance committee of Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA), and Paul Raymond Goulet, president, chief executive officer and self-styled "chief explainer" of Ottawa-based Little Ray's Reptile Zoo Inc., were all expected to address City Council.

Jonathan Poitras, legal counsel for Spruce Haven Nature Park, was also on the agenda, but was hospitalized while collecting evidence for his submissions and was unable to attend on Monday.

Spruce Haven owner Ken Marshall asked that City Council's discussion of the proposed bylaw and zoo ban be postponed until the next council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

The proposed new animal care and control bylaw would prohibit circuses with animals, except for the following:

• an equestrian show
• a dog show
• a domestic cat show
• an aquarium display
• horseracing
• sled dog racing
• pet store or pet shop
• a municipally registered kennel
• a breeding facility with a valid municipal breeding permit
• a veterinary hospital under the care of a licensed veterinarian
• animals kept on the premises of a university or community college where such animals are being kept for research, study or teaching purposes, or on premises registered as research facilities under Section 5 of the Animals for Research Act
• animals kept on the premises of any television studio where such animals are being kept temporarily for the purpose of a television production

The new bylaw would also outlaw zoos, defined as "an establishment that maintains a permanent collection of live animals kept in cages or large enclosures for any purpose, including but not limited to display to the public."

Zoo owners would be given six months to wind down their operations.

The following exemptions would apply to the zoo ban:

• animals kept on the premises of the society (the agency contracted by the city to provide prevention of cruelty to animal services)
• animals kept in a pet store or pet shop
• livestock kept in an area of the city zoned for agricultural purposes
• an aquarium or insect display
• a municipally registered kennel
• a breeding facility that holds a valid municipal breeding permit
• a veterinary hospital under the care of a licensed veterinarian
• animals kept on the premises of a university or community college where such animals are being kept for research, study or teaching purposes, or on premises registered as research facilities under Section 5 of the Animals for Research Act
• animals kept by anyone authorized to do so under any statute of the legislature of Ontario or the Government of Canada

Reptilian explainer Paul Raymond Goulet curiously didn't make it to Monday's City Council meeting.

Zoocheck's Julie Woodyer was there but said she'd prefer to return to discuss the issue when it's debated by councillors.

Zoocheck maintains that Spruce Haven lacks the space or complexity to properly accommodate its carnivores:  lions, wolves, a cougar, a coyote and Ben the bear.

Woodyer has previously offered to transfer the Spruce Haven animals to sanctuaries at no cost to the zoo.

CAZA's Dr. Andrew Lentini, curator of reptiles and amphibians at Metro Toronto Zoo, arrived late because of a flight delay.

Speaking to council, Dr. Lentini argued that zoos play important roles in education and tourism, encouraging the city to require all local zoos to meet CAZA standards for animal welfare.

"That would take the regulatory and the enforcement burden off the city and place it with the industry, with CAZA."

"It's disheartening when governments consider regulatory changes that effect zoos based on political ideologies opposed to ethical and scientific reflection."

"CAZA has repeatedly extended offers of assistance to the City of Sault Ste. Marie. However, we have not been consulted. CAZA's exclusion is unfitting in a democracy," Lentini said.

"Even at this meeting, the only organization that was initially invited to consult was Zoochek, an anti-zoo organization funded for the sole purpose of advocating shutting down zoos."

CAZA is funded by its zoo members.

Of 165 known zoos in Canada, only 31 meet CAZA accreditation standards, Lentini said.

Councillors decided Monday to defer passing the updated animal care and control bylaw until representations from Spruce Haven Nature Park and Zoocheck can be heard on Tuesday, Feb. 20.