Roadside zoo season is set to begin in Ontario and advocates say it's time to shore up animal welfare laws

Animal rights advocates and municipal associations are calling on the Ontario government to shore up animal welfare laws with roadside zoo season set to begin. 

Roadside zoos, which tend to open to the public around this time of year, are often small pop-up attractions outside major cities that can feature a host of exotic and domestic animals for guests to interact with. 

They also frequently involve small enclosures for animals, offer little more than food, water and a shelter box, and have a negative impact on animal behaviours, according to the non-profit organization World Animal Protection (WAP).

The organization calls the zoos "substandard" facilities that mainly house wild animals in "poor, barren conditions."

But a patchwork of legislation in Ontario allows the zoos to open up shop in some municipalities while being banned in others, WAP wildlife campaign manager Michèle Hamers told CBC Toronto.

"Compared to other provinces and jurisdictions in Canada, Ontario lags behind," said Hamers.

"There's nothing really stopping the government to take on this issue. It's political will and priorities, and we don't want to wait ... until there is another escape or another incident that happens." 

Industry safety and regulation has improved in Ontario in recent years — notably thanks to the provincial Animal Welfare Services Act (PAWS) that came into force in 2019 and sets out basic standards of care for some animals. But critics and advocates say it's too vague to interpret effectively and consistently for each exotic animal, leaving municipalities grappling to regulate zoos themselves.

WAP says until the province implements clearer rules for wildlife facilities and dedicates more resources to regulating the industry, the problem will only persist — since about 50 per cent of municipalities don't have any bans on wild animal ownership at all.

"It's great that we have certain provisions, certain regulations," said Hamers. "But if it's not properly enforced and we can't hold facilities accountable for what they're doing. That's still very problematic."

It's a long-standing problem that leaves municipalities — even those with by-laws on the issue — facing challenges in managing exotic animals, according the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario, the largest association of local government professionals in the province.

"Municipalities are sort of doing the best they can with the information they have," said David Arbuckle, the association's executive director.

And despite the efforts taken by local authorities to shut them down, in some cases, the association says a roadside zoo can still pack up shop and move to another municipality.

"It's piecemeal and there's different ways in which municipalities deal with it," said Arbuckle.