Paws & Claws Film Festival

The Paws and Claws Film Festival is presented by the BC SPCA, and features wildlife-inspired films from Canada and the United States. The mission of the Film Festival is to promote awareness, knowledge and understanding of wildlife, habitat, people and nature. 

The films range from 3 minutes in length to 45 minutes, and feature bears, badgers, skinks, swallows and more. You can find the link to the films here.

Kids and Teachers - Learn more about Animals

Are you a kid, or do you know a kid, who wants to learn more about animals? There are lots of great resources out there, just for kids. Check out the BC SPCA Kids Club News, a free monthly email newsletter all about animals. It's packed with facts on companion animal care, wildlife welfare and farm animal issues. There are crafts and activities, photos and stories, and advocacy tips for youth. Learn more here. Teachers, the BC SPCA also has great resources just for you, including curriculum units, recommended resources, information about classroom pets and more. Check out their website section for teachers here

Hold on to that Balloon!

Students are often very excited to learn about things that they can personally do to help wild animals. Taking action, and knowing your actions are having a positive impact, can be very empowering. 

During our grade 4 Keep It Wild! workshop, Save our Seas, students learn about the impact that human pollution has on ocean animals. They also learn simple things that they can do to make a positive change for wild animals. One such action is to prevent the release of balloons into our environment. Once balloons break and come down to earth, they can be ingested by wild animals, and their attachments can entangle wild animals. 

 Take a few minutes to learn more about the impact of balloons at: Alliance for Balloon Education. Then take a few more minutes to tell someone else about the negative impact the release of balloons can have. 

Entangled Bird (Photo: Alliance for Balloon Education)

Chimps and Coffee

Last spring the grade 5/6 class at Downtown Alternative School participated in a Keep It Wild! workshop about chimpanzees. They had a chance to learn all about the similarities and differences between humans and their closest living relative. They also learned about some great ways to help chimpanzees in the wild and in captivity. Thanks to Abby for sharing her great chimpanzee artwork!

Did you know that in the last 100 years, the chimpanzee population has dropped from 2 million to less than 300,000 chimps? Each year their forest habitat is lost at a rate of four million hectares each year. The Jane Goodall Institute has launched a new Roots & Shoots campaign to help chimpanzees called What's in your cup? Find out more about the connections between coffee consumption and chimpanzee habitats, and find out what you can do to make a difference at: Roots & Shoots 

Animals in the Library

Thousands of amazing books about animals can be found at your local library. But did you know the Toronto Public Library also has lots of free programs and events about animals that are free! Learn more about our local spiders, find out about new dinosaur discoveries in Africa, take a class to learn how to draw animals and more!

Here are a few events this fall:

• Wildlife Wood Carving and Painting, Sept 29th @ 2 pm, McGregor Park
• Spiders of Toronto, Oct 2nd @ 12:30 pm, North York Central
• Chasing Electric Fish in the Amazon, Oct 24th @ 7 pm, Danforth/Coxwell
• Eggs, Nests and Baby Dinosaurs, Nov 26th @ 7pm, Northern District
• I Can Draw Animals, Nov 24 @ 2 pm, York Woods

 Pick up a copy of What's On, from your local library branch to find out more about upcoming talks classes and workshops. 

Another great resource available at the Toronto Public Library is the Biodiversity Booklet Series. This series of booklets is a great way to learn more about the city's birds, mammals, spiders, butterflies, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Pick up your free copy today at your local branch. 

Urban Animals

We often think that connecting with a wild animal is a rare event. We believe that it requires money and travel, or that it requires cages and captivity. Instead, we can pay attention to the magic and mystery of the everyday animals that we encounter, like this city sparrow, visiting a water fountain. 

A Frog in a Box?

Frog-O-Spheres, or EcoAquariums, are a current live animal fad in kid's toy stores. They are small plastic cubes (15 cm X 10 cm) that contain two dwarf African clawed frogs, a bamboo stalk, gravel, and a rock.

This captive habitat is lacking in several ways:

• the cube is much too small for two frogs to behave normally
• the cube doesn't provide places for the frogs to hide
• the cube does not come with a thermometer or a heat source 
• the care instructions suggest changing the water only every 3-4 months, which is not enough
• the care instructions suggest feeding only pellets, without any live food items, or any variety

Keeping a wild animal in captivity requires research and specialized care. It is important to consider all the needs of an animal before deciding to keep one as a pet. Just because these frogs are small, cute, and inexpensive, doesn't mean it's ok to sell them as a disposable toy. 

Learn a lot more about frogs in cubes, as well as how you can help, at: Zoocheck's Perspectives.

Reptiles as Pets

Did you know that at least 75% of pet snakes, lizards, tortoises and turtles die within their first year in a home? In the wild many of these animals would live between 8 - 120 years, depending on the species.

 Many pet owners mistakenly believe that reptiles are easy to keep and require little maintenance. But snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises have lots of physical, behavioural and psychological needs. In captivity these pets often do poorly and die much sooner than in the wild.

There are lots of other problems with the exotic pet trade of reptiles too.  Lots of people release unwanted pets into the wild, which causes problems for the native animals. And exotic pets can cause human diseases, like salmonella.

You can learn more about the problems with exotic pets on  Zoocheck's website.

If you love reptiles and want to learn more about them, why not become an Ophiologist? (A scientist who studies snakes!) Check out this new book, Awesome Snake Science! by Cindy Blobaum.

The book has lots of snake facts and figures, but it also has 40 different snake-themed activities, like creating Viper Venom and crafting a Spitting Cobra Fang. You can also create a snake model for dissection, using candies - yum! Best of all, no actual snakes are required for any of these activities.

Japan Dolphins Day

T-shirts available at www.ecojoia.com

Join other animal-lovers on August 31st at the Consulate of Japan to protest the September 1st start of the annual dolphin cull in Japan. Send a positive and peaceful message to Japan to let the dolphins live and be free. The event takes place at the Consulate General of Japan, 77 King Street West.

Japan Dolphins Day was founded by Ric O'Barry and Save Japan Dolphins. Here is a portion of Ric O'Barry's invitation to join the world-wide movement:


Dear Friends and fellow Dolphin Lovers:

I am asking you for your help. On or around Sept. 1, please head to your local Japanese embassy or consulate to voice your concern about the dolphin slaughters!
This time of year always makes my heart heavy. September 1 marks the official beginning of the dolphin drive hunting season in Taiji, Japan, as I helped to show the world in the Oscar-winning movie The Cove. Every year, thousands of dolphins are brutally killed; some are then sold into a lifetime of slavery in captive facilities around the globe, and the rest are used for their flesh – which is highly contaminated with mercury and other toxins, rendering in dangerous for human consumption.
We absolutely must keep the international spotlight on Taiji in order to stop these senseless murders once and for all. This is why I am asking you to lend your voice to the cause and join or organize a Japan Dolphins Day event in your area.

Japan Dolphins Day 2012, Toronto, Canada:
https://www.facebook.com/events/383167135080113/

Marineland In the News

Orca whale in captivity (Zoocheck's website)

The Toronto Star has published a three part series about Marineland, the marine/amusement park in Niagra Falls, Ontario, exposing serious health problems with their marine mammals, as well as lack of proper care due to chronic staff shortages. Check out Zoocheck's twitter for links to the articles and other recent news coverage about Marineland. If you are interested in helping animals at Marineland and other marine parks, Zoocheck's website offers some great suggestions.

Limba the Elephant

Limba is known to be the oldest elephant in Canada. She was born in Vietnam in 1964. At one year of age she was captured and has lived the rest of her life in captivity. Limba is used in the entertainment industry, as part of Cirque Mondo, as well as at fairs, parades, movies, commercials and children's parties.

Learn more about Limba and join a growing movement that wants Limba granted the freedom to retire and enjoy the rest of her years at an elephant sanctuary.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cara-concordia-animal-rights-montreal/my-name-is-limba/388718027851528

Orcas in Captivity Versus The Wild

Grade 3/4 students at Dundas Street Public School recently learned more about orcas and their habitats. They compared the life of an orca in the wild with the life of an orca in a marine park. 

Their postcards on behalf of Corky show us some of the struggles that orcas face in captivity:

Orcas in marine parks are socially isolated from their family pod: 

Picture by Xin

They live in barren environments: 

Picture by Declan

They are confined to small pools and can't engage in natural behaviours like hunting: 

Picture by Jessica

They suffer high mortality rates: 

Picture by Alex

They have to perform circus tricks to earn food:

Picture by Maxwell

In the wild, their lives are vastly different:

Orcas live their whole life with their family pod:

Picture by Razore

They hunt in a vast and stimulating ocean environment using echolocation:

Picture by Helen

They can swim for many kilometres each day: 

Picture by Jierui

They have freedom: 

Thanks to all the students for their great artwork and comments. Their postcards will be sent to Seaworld, where Corky, who has been in captivity for more than 40 years, lives. Hopefully Corky gets a chance to reunite with her family pod, and swim in the ocean once again. She deserves her freedom after all these years. 

Urban Wildlife

These are some of the cool plaster casts of tracks that students at Dundas Street Public School made recently during their Keep It Wild! workshop. Studying animal tracks is a great way to connect with wild animals and learn more about the wildlife that lives in the city. Tracks are easiest to spot along creek and river beds, and in muddy trails after a recent rainfall. There are lots of resources on the web that explain how to make plaster casts of tracks. Check some of them out this summer and see if you can capture some tracks! 

Back to the Blue

Tom and Misha (picture from Born Free website)

Tom and Misha are two dolphins that recently made it back to the wild, after spending six years in a small and filthy swimming pool in a Turkish resort. Both dolphins were born in the wild, and have been in captivity as part of a dolphin swim for tourists.

After almost two years of planning and rehabilitation, the two dolphins were released back into the ocean. The dolphins are being tracked and appear to be adapting well to life in the wild  They are hunting and have travelled hundreds of miles now that they are free. Their successful rehabilitation and release will hopefully inspire other campaigns to send more captive dolphins back to the blue.

Learn more about their time in captivity and their release at: Born Free

Saving Lives & Changing Hearts

Rob Laidlaw, founder of Zoocheck Canada, has authored several children's books about animals in captivity. His newest book, Saving Lies & Changing Hearts: Animal Sanctuaries and Rescue Centres, will be released this summer. From a donkey sanctuary in Canada to a bear rescue centre in China, this book examines numerous efforts around the world to rescue and care for animals in need. A great book to inspire those who care about animals.

Support Bill 69 to Help Elephants

In Ontario, Bill 69 would amend the OSPCA Act in protection of elephants. If passed, the Bill would help captive elephants. The bill would restrict the use of bullhooks and electric prods. It would also restrict the use of restraints (like chains) in elephant management, training and handling.You can learn more about the Bill at: http://www.zoocheck.com/campaigns_elephant_EPA2012.html
You can help elephants today by supporting the Bill. Write a personal letter to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and All Members of Provincial Parliament letting them know that you support Bill 69 because you care about captive elephants.

Ivan the Gorilla

Katherine Applegate was inspired to write The One and Only Ivan after reading about the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, the Shopping Mall gorilla. The real Ivan lived alone in a 14' x 14' concrete cage for twenty-seven years at a shopping mall before being moved to Zoo Atlanta after a public outcry.

A photo of the real Ivan (from PAWS)

   
The School Library Journal has this to say about the book:
Applegate makes a powerful statement about the treatment of animals - especially those living in captivity - and reminds readers that all creatures deserve a safe place to call home. Castelao's delightful illustrations enhance this lovely story, and the characters will capture readers' hearts and never let go. A must-have. 
Learn more about the book and about the author at :http://theoneandonlyivan.com/

Elephant Mud Bath

 Check out this video of a herd of wild elephants enjoying a mud bath. THIS is what an elephant's life should be all about! Many elephants in captivity don't have access to mud baths or bathing water, or grass and trees for grazing. And if they live in a colder climate, they are often confined indoors for long periods of time. Learn more about Canadian elephants in captivity, including Lucy, at: http://www.savelucy.ca/

Make a Change for Earth Day

In honour of Earth Day, pledge to make a lasting change for the earth and the animals by getting a re-usable water bottle and committing to using it, instead of buying plastic water bottles. Here's one of the reasons why:


www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/midway

This is a photograph of a dead albatross chick taken on Midway Atoll, a remote nesting site in the middle of the North Pacific. Every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking because of the plastic that their parents are accidentally feeding them. Think of the difference we could all make for animals like the albatross if we gave up using plastic water bottles! To learn more about marine debris and the impact it's having on wild animals, check out our Keep It Wild! workshop, "Save our Seas?" http://www.keepitwildeducation.com/for-teachers

Polar Bears Love Snow

Students have been working hard on the campaign to get Yupi, a polar bear who lives in a zoo in Mexico, moved to a better habitat. Dear Zookeeper, writes Abhipsa, who is in grade 1 at Rose Avenue PS in Toronto, please give Yupi lots of snow and lots of ice and keep her in a cold place. Thank you. Her classmates also wrote postcards and drew pictures to bring awareness to Yupi's plight. All the students agreed that polar bears and snow belong together!

 

     

An Elephant Resource for Teachers

Hey teachers, check out this great resource, Take Action for Elephants: A Resource Guide, created by Zoocheck Canada and Everyone Loves Elephants. The resource includes information about elephants in the wild and in captivity, a section on books, websites and organizations, fifteen great classroom activities geared towards elementary students, and more. The resource will soon be available on our Keep It Wild website, http://www.keepitwildeducation.com/, or if you would like to receive a copy of it, please contact Zoocheck directly.

If I Were You

After participating in our Keep It Wild workshop, Nature Detectives, grade 1/2 students at Downtown Alternative School read this book by Brian Wildsmith. The book has simple text, and follows a child through the zoo as he imagines being all the different animals he sees. "I went to the zoo and I thought if I were an eagle, I would fly to the moon." The book ends with the child realizing that if the animals were him, they would be free.

One of the biggest problems animals face in captivity, especially in roadside zoos,  is the frustration and boredom they experience because quite often they cannot engage in normal behaviours, like flying, digging, climbing, running, and swimming.

   

A raccoon in substandard conditions at a roadside zoo in Ontario

Here are some of the connections the students made between the book, and wild animals living near them.

If I were a raccoon I would climb the highest tree...

If I were deer I would take a nice long run...

If I were a fox I would run everywhere....

An Elephant Talk

Join Zoocheck on Friday March 23rd for an interesting and exciting evening focussed on elephants. Winnie Kiiru will be sharing personal stories and photos of African elephants. The event will take place at the Northern District Library in Toronto, and only costs $5.

An Elephant's Life

Check out this comic for kids about elephants in the circus. It's a great way for kids to learn more about captive elephants and some of the issues that they face. It's also a great way to learn more about elephant sanctuaries. The comic is available from PETA: http://www.petacatalog.com/

Nature Detectives

 Tracking wild animals is a great way to have fun and learn more about wild animals. There are lots of great places in the city where wild animals, like raccoons, deer, coyotes, and fox, live. You might not always catch of glimpse of a wild animal, but you can often find signs that they were there. Tracks and scat are two things to look for. But you can also look for other signs, like nests or dens, feathers, fur, or shed skin, or signs of feeding, like empty acorns, stripped bark or chewed leaves.

There are lots of great books that can help you learn more. One suggestion is Tracks, Scats and Signs by Leslie Dendy, with illustrations by Linda Garrow.

If you are a teacher, check out our Keep It Wild! workshop, geared for grade 1 and 2, focussed on animal tracks and signs. It's a great way to learn more about animal characteristics and adaptations. 

Kids Speak Up for Dolphins

Check out this short video about dolphins in captivity, featuring children who are standing up to tell the world that dolphins don't belong in captivity.

The video is part of Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project, a campaign to stop dolphin slaughter and exploitation around the world.Make sure to pass the video along and spread the word. You can also learn more about The Dolphin Project at: http://dolphinproject.org/

Stop Superbowl Chimps

CareerBuilder.com plans to air a new ad featuring real chimpanzees during the Super Bowl on February 5th. Join Jane Goodall and others in an effort to get the company to reconsider using chimps in their ads.

In her letter to the company, Jane Goodall points out several of the problems associated with the use of chimps in advertising and entertainment. For example, one issue is that these chimps are always infants, separated from their mothers. As they grow up and become strong and unmanageable, they often end up in roadside zoos, or get euthanized. Another issue is the negative impact these ads have on conservation efforts for wild chimpanzeees, which are endangered.

Read the entire letter she has written to the company, explaining all the problems inherent in the use of chimpanzees in entertainment, and then sign your name to it. http://janegoodall.ca/ask-careerbuilder-not-to-use-chimpanzees.htm

Careerbuilders.com ad featuring an "executive" chimp

Help a Tiger Today

Tony, a Siberian-Bengal tiger, has lived his eleven years as a roadside attraction at the Tiger Truck Stop in Louisiana. In two different court hearings in 2011, a judge ordered that the state of Louisiana stop issuing  permits for the truck stop to keep a tiger, but Tony is still there. Learn more about Tony at: http://freetonythetiger.wordpress.com/

Tony represents one of the estimated 5,000-10,000 of privately owned tigers in the United States, whose numbers are greater than tigers in the wild. Captive U.S. tigers are used in roadside zoos and attractions, photo-ops and exhibitiosn, entertainment shows, bred for profit or are owned as “pets.” Others end up in canned hunts or on the black market.

Even kids can help make a difference for wild animals in captivity. Letter-writing campaigns and petitions can both be effective ways of creating change, especially when a lot of people participate. Sign your name to the petition to Free Tony the Tiger at: http://www.change.org/petitions/ldwf-ensure-tony-the-tiger-is-released-to-a-reputable-sanctuary

You can also make a difference for a wild animal in captivity by letting other people know about the issue. Create your own Youtube video about an animal that needs help. Check out this video, created by a 10-year old animal advocate named Breawna who is trying to help Tony.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCDeL_ujeZU

Save Our Seas

 Most of our Keep It Wild! workshops focus on wild animals in captivity. But we also think it's important to talk about wild habitats, because wild animals can't survive without them. It's easy to make a difference for wild animals by taking care of their habitats.

Check out these great pictures from Bendale Public School. Students there pledged to help wild animals by helping their habitats. They learned about marine debris and the terrible effects it can have on wildlife. Then they learned how they could make a difference by reducing, reusing and recycling plastic products.

Sanctuary Song

Join Zoocheck Canada and Everyone Loves Elephants for a special celebratory fundraising performance on Saturday February 11th. A 1 hour performance of the Dora-award winning opera "Sanctuary Song", inspired by the moving true story of Sydney, a wild-caught Asian elephant and her journey from captivity to freedom at The Elephant Sanctuary, will take place at The Wychwood Theatre at the Barns. The evening also includes talk back with the creative team, additional entertainment, reception and silent auction. Contact Zoocheck for more information and for tickets: http://www.zoocheck.com/

Federation Day

If you are a teacher, perhaps you saw our display at Federation Day, a Toronto event put on by the Elementary Teachers of Toronto this past December.  It was great to share our Keep It Wild! workshops with so many different teachers from around Toronto. Here are a few pictures from the day.