Dear Zoocheck Donor:
Thank you so much for your very generous, ongoing support of Zoocheck’s wildlife protection work. We have no words to properly convey how grateful we are for your help. It is noticed and appreciated.
When Zoocheck started all those years ago, we couldn’t have imagined we’d still be around 41 years later and working across Canada and internationally as well. At the beginning we were exclusively focused on roadside zoo issues in Ontario but throughout the years, as our knowledge and our capacity grew, we were able to tackle additional issues, including exotic pet keeping, wildlife use in circuses, whales and dolphins in marine parks and aquariums, other kinds of zoo and wildlife captivity issues, as well as working to stop the persecution of wildlife free-roaming in nature, including double-crested cormorants, numerous bear species, wild horses and elephants in their home range countries.
Whenever I send out these thank you letters and notes (which I do type myself) I like to mention a few highlights of some of the projects and activities we’ve most recently been engaged in. We continue to make progress with each passing year and 2025 was no exception. And I do want to point out that there’s a lot more going on than what I put in these communications, so keep that in mind when you read the following brief recaps.
I also wanted to highlight the fact that Zoocheck works with a broad range of collaborating partners, including other organizations, leading experts, law firms and even, from time to time, governments themselves. Despite this, we often hear “why doesn’t everyone all work together?” Well, we do. We understand the process of change, especially political change, and know that together we are stronger than when we are apart. For that reason, we frequently mention the people and organizations we collaborate with on campaigns and projects.
So, having said that, here are a few highlights of what’s happened this year.
- Zoocheck conducted additional investigations of roadside zoos aimed at identifying specific animal welfare issues as the basis for numerous complaints to official agencies in Ontario. We’ve also started initial research and planning for a much larger investigation to take place in 2026.
- Zoocheck was part of a collective of five animal welfare organizations pushing for federal bills to prohibit the keeping of elephants, great apes and other animals in captivity in Canada. The most recent, Bill S-15, died on the order paper when the federal election was called, but Zoocheck and the other organizations are committed to pushing to get the proposed law reintroduced back into the legislative process as soon as we can.
- Zoocheck, along with our longtime partner Niagara Action for Animals, funded construction of a permanent holding facility for turtles in need. For years Zoocheck has been aware of numerous native “display” turtles in wildlife centers and other institutional settings that were in unacceptable conditions, some for decades, but, despite our best efforts, we were unable to find them suitable placement. We decided to get past that hurdle by funding construction of our own holding facility and I’m happy to report that just a short while ago our first snapping turtle in need was transferred there.
- To help educate children at the facility the snapping turtle came from, we provided a very large, custom made snapping turtle model to the nature facility to be used in children’s education programs, instead of using a live turtle.
- Zoocheck provided significant support to the Southwestern Ontario At Risk Reptiles (SOARR) program. This outstanding local, hands-on initiative engages in conservation research, habitat restoration, incubating turtle eggs and subsequent release of young, community education and more. I’m happy to report that in 2025, in addition to its many other achievements, SOARR produced more than 12,000 turtle hatchlings.
- Zoocheck continued to promote a municipal resolution, put forward by World Animal Protection (who we have partnered with since the early 1990s), aimed at convincing the Ontario government to finally establish meaningful zoo and wildlife in captivity legislation in the province. Nearly 50 municipalities have signed on to the resolution so far. This is a profoundly different level of support than existed in past years. Up until about 2010, municipal support for local zoos was still strong, but, finally, it has eroded. Municipalities these days no longer welcome roadside zoos, private menageries or dangerous wildlife being kept as pets and they are joining the call for better laws and regulations to protect animals.
- Zoocheck commissioned a new brief comparing the use of Positive List regulatory programs in Canada and how they can be improved. The brief will be one more tool in our exotic pet campaign toolbox. Zoocheck has been working to produce these kinds of materials, not only for our use but for others, including government officials, who are also working on these issues in their own regions.
- Zoocheck conducted a follow up investigation of solitary elephants in Japan in September, in association with our partner group Elephants in Japan. The results of this investigation will be used for lobbying efforts aimed at promoting the establishment of meaningful zoo and wildlife in captivity laws in Japan, as well as policy changes in industry oversight bodies and husbandry improvements at the institutional level. The project has already achieved several preliminary milestones and we’re confident more will be forthcoming in 2026.
- Zoocheck’s long-term initiative to secure a future for Alberta’s wild horses continued with helicopter aerial counts of wild horse populations, public opinion polls that show Albertans support leaving wild horses on the landscape, several other reports, including a genealogical study of the horses, and we engaged in lobbying efforts to prevent culls from taking place this year.
- Zoocheck has also helped local advocates in the Yukon Territory who are trying to protect their existing small population of wild horses, by funding trail cameras for use in determining horse numbers and movements, funding access to information requests to acquire additional information about the wild horse issue, and providing assistance with a DNA study of Yukon’s wild horses.
- Zoocheck continued efforts to convince the Manitoba government to abandon its spring bear hunt, which results in the orphaning of cubs when mothers are shot, by conducting polls of the Manitoba public, and collaborating with local Manitoban advocates in their efforts to safeguard bears.
- Zoocheck has also been funding an innovative local initiative in the United States that is aimed at addressing numerous systemic issues in a major public zoo and promoting the zoo’s transition into a bona fide Ecopark.
- Zoocheck funded the construction of several beaver deceiver devices in a US municipality. The devices address flooding issues caused by beaver dams and help prevent the destruction of local beaver populations. The devices will be promoted to other municipalities as a model of how to humanely address wildlife issues in the hope that they will adopt them as well.
- Zoocheck has also been developing an online public policy advocacy course to help activists across the country better understand our government systems and how to engage with them to help animals as effectively as possible. The project has had several delays but we expect to launch the program in the new year.
There are numerous other issues across the country that Zoocheck has been involved in this year as well, including, but not limited to, our ongoing work to address the Reptilia situation in London, Ontario; our efforts to stop the persecution of cormorants in Ontario; and working successfully with local activists to force the removal of a “bird zoo” from an area shopping mall.
In 2026, we’ll continue to push forward to help as many animals as we can, so thank you for helping to make that a reality. Your support really does make a difference. I have no doubt that 2026 will be a good year for animals.
Sincerely,
Rob Laidlaw
Executive Director
Rob Laidlaw
Executive Director