Resolution No. 14-05M

WHEREAS, stray animals cause damage and create safety concerns; and

WHEREAS, animal species such as wild boar and buffalo are difficult to restrain and contain without proper experience, equipment and fencing; and

WHEREAS, impounding wild boar or buffalo is virtually impossible without proper handling facilities which are not readily available; and

WHEREAS, the Provincial Government promoted these species as suitable for diversification without providing full information to prospective producers regarding the difficulty in containing the animals;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that SARM lobby the Provincial Government to engage and appoint poundkeepers that possess the appropriate resources to restrain and contain wild boar and buffalo that would be made available province-wide to assist municipalities with the capture of these species.

Response from the Honourable Mark Wartman, Minister of Agriculture and Food:

SAF appreciates the challenges presented by escaped wild boar. The regulatory changes SARM proposes may improve regulatory framework and these changes are expected to be confirmed early in the new year. It should be noted that, The Stray Animals Act and The Stray Animals Regulations, 1999, do provide authority to municipalities for dealing with stray animals, including wild boar and bison. There is ample authority for engaging and appointing of poundkeepers by municipalities.

If costs are a concern, there is also the option of increasing impounding fees and fines in order for municipalities to recover their costs. It should also be noted that local municipalities have a much greater ability than the province to monitor and enforce local issues such as land use and fencing. Regardless of ownership, the Act allows for stray animals to be detained in pounds and the owners held responsible for the associated costs. The Act also contains provisions which allow a person to kill a stray animal where the stray is in the act of harming, endangering or pursuing any person or livestock. Proprietors may also kill strays if conditions, including approval from the rural municipality are obtained.