Stop the poisoning of wildlife in Canada

Stop the cruel poisoning of wildlife

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Every year, the government of Canada permits thousands of wild animals to die a painful, prolonged, and torturous death by poisoning.

The federal government allows the deadly poisons – strychnine, sodium cyanide, and Compound 1080 – to be used in Alberta and Saskatchewan to kill wolves, bears and coyotes. But every year the widespread and poorly regulated use of these indiscriminate poisons result in the agonizing and painful deaths of not only these species, but also pet dogs, endangered species, and other non-target animals.

There is no question about it: a prolonged and painful death by poison is inhumane. There are far more humane alternatives to managing human-wildlife conflicts, and these poisons have no place in modern wildlife policy.

Killing wolves, coyotes, and bears, is not a solution to human-wildlife conflicts with these animals. And when it comes to the cruel and indiscriminate poisons currently being used to kill wolves, bears, and coyotes in Canada – strychnine, sodium cyanide, and compound 1080 - there is sufficient scientific evidence to conclude that these poisons are inhumane and should not be used.

Please send a message to the government of Alberta, asking it to put an end to the cruel and unnecessary poisoning of wild animals. Your letter could help save thousands of wild animals from a cruel and inhumane death. We have prepared a template email for you to send. If you prefer, you can personalize this email to make it more effective. Please ensure that you are polite at all times.

We need to stop poisoning our wildlife

Ms.

Danielle

Smith

Government of Alberta

Ms.

Rebecca

Schulz

Government of Alberta

I am writing to express my concern about the current policy allowing the use of using poison to kill wolves, bears, and coyotes in Canada. There is sufficient scientific evidence indicating that the use of strychnine, Compound 1080, and sodium cyanide to kill large vertebrate predators is inhumane. I would like to see an immediate end to the use of these poisons to kill wolves, bears, and coyotes in Alberta.

The use of strychnine, currently approved for use in the province of Alberta, is in contravention of the guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Society of Mammalogists. The use of cyanide and Compound 1080 have also been denounced by many of these bodies.

Strychnine, sodium cyanide and Compound 1080 are inhumane and indiscriminate poisons, causing unnecessary pain and suffering and killing far more animals than those for which they are intended. These poisons have no place in modern wildlife conservation practices.

Wolves, grizzly bears, and coyotes are apex predators that play a valuable ecosystem role.  There is no scientific evidence to suggest that killing predators will assist in the recovery of prey populations such as caribou, or to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. I urge your governments to invest in humane, non-lethal methods to manage conflicts between humans and wildlife.

Sincerely,

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Stop the cruel poisoning of wildlife

Every year, the government of Canada permits thousands of wild animals to die a painful, prolonged, and torturous death by poisoning.

We need to stop poisoning our wildlife

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to put an end to the poisoning of animals