Zoocheck

04/13/2026

Sign up now for a virtual evening with Dr. Gosia Bryja and learn about the gap between outdated wildlife management policies and our growing knowledge on bears, and who they truly are: sentient beings with unique personalities, complex social bonds, and rich cognitive lives.

We'd love to hear from you, too! Submit your questions for Dr. Bryja when you register before April 15th: https://3common.com/event/black-bears-from-resource-to-individual-/69949c446caf721b3bbf9c5b

Submissions are also taken directly at [email protected].

📅 April 23rd
🕰️ 7pm CST
📍 virtual

04/06/2026

Help Us Monitor Live Animal Programs (MLAPs) in Public Settings 🚨
Zoocheck is asking for your help.

Live exotic animal activities in Ontario are unregulated and untracked, so they fly under the radar. That’s why there are dozens and dozens of people and businesses shunting animals from one location to another in cars, vans and trucks, across the province. Since they're always moving around, they're difficult to track so that’s why we need your help.

If you see or hear of any advertisements or promotions for live animal activities, that include mammals, birds, reptiles or amphibians, anywhere in the province, please let us know. These activities may include:

• Mobile zoos or mobile wildlife exhibits
• Animal stage shows or presentations
• Animal encounters or “meet and greets”
• Reptile presentations or shows
• Animal photo sessions
• Any similar events involving live animals

These events may take place at:

• Children’s events and summer camps
• Schools and libraries
• Retail outlets and shopping malls
• Fairs and festivals
• Nursing homes, seniors’ residences, hospitals
• Corporate events and conferences
• Churches and other similar locations
• Other locations where the public has access

Even though we are focused on Ontario, we’d still like to hear about animal activities in other provinces too.

If you come across advertisements or event notices (online or otherwise), please let us know by sending the:

• Date of the event
• Location
• Name of the person or company presenting
• A photo or copy of the advertisement (if available)

Your information is important and helps support ongoing efforts to monitor and assess the use of Mobile Live Animal Programs in public settings.

Please send to: [email protected]

04/02/2026

Toronto book launch of THE LIFE OF A CREATURE by author, veterinarian and Zoocheck director Nadja Lubiw-Hazard. Saturday May 2, 2026.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/launch-of-nadja-lubiw-hazards-the-life-of-a-creature-with-kendra-coulter-tickets-1985399787209?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl&mc_cid=be4d4d55c4&mc_eid=37e5d74ab0

04/02/2026

Congratulations to our colleagues at World Animal Protection. This is a great precedent that will bolster efforts to help all reptiles in captivity.

After publicly launching our 2021 campaign urging PetSmart to stop the sale of wild animals as pets, and supporters in Canada and the United States speaking out, we have taken a critical step in the campaign and are in conversation with the company.

04/01/2026

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/tigers-hyena-exotic-animals-wainfleet-9.7142098

The owner of three tigers and a hyena that are no longer living on a property in Wainfleet, Ont., is hopeful he'll someday be reunited with his animals, but it won't be in that rural township in Niagara that had ordered them removed for contravening an exotic animals bylaw.

03/31/2026

A sign of the times? Let's hope this trend spreads to China and Japan where cetacean captivity is in it's heyday.

SINGAPORE — The Resorts World Sentosa casino and entertainment complex in Singapore has halted sourcing dolphins from the wild for its aquarium, Mongabay has learned. The resort’s Oceanarium has also suspended its breeding program, according to insiders. The facility is assembling a panel of exp...

03/30/2026

We were so sorry to learn that Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) founder Ingrid Pollak passed away a short while ago. Ingrid was a passionate crusader for animals and a pioneer of the Canadian animal protection movement who helped set the stage for others who now follow in her footsteps. Zoocheck collaborated with the VHS and Ingrid in the 1980s and 1990s and we remember our joint struggles to address so many issues at a time when there was not a great deal of public support. RIP Ingrid Pollak. You will be missed.

We are saddened to share the news of the passing of Ingrid Pollak, founder of the Vancouver Humane Society. Ingrid was a courageous advocate and a powerful voice for animals for decades.

We are honoured to share this tribute to her life and her tireless efforts to protect animals and inspire others to do the same: https://vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca/posts/honouring-ingrid-pollak/

03/30/2026

In Conversation with Mart Gross: Biology, Fish Behavoiur & Sentience - Fascinating discussion worth listening to

On the occasion of the World Day for the End of Fishing and Fish Farming 2026, we sit down with Mart Gross, Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University o...

03/26/2026

“The way that the dump is managed is the problem,” he said. “You're putting out huge quantities of food and it's attracting the gulls, and then you're referring to the gulls as being the problem.” -

Yet again, animals are scapegoated for human folly.

Check out the article titled CRITICS SAY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ST. JOHN'S GULL CULL IS NULL It's at the cbc.ca news website.

Many programs aimed at culling or reducing wildlife numbers take aim at the animals, instead of the real causes of the problems which are caused by humans. It's easier that way. Culls create the appearance of doing something but they are often performative because they have no hope of actually solving the problems at hand. And the animals pay the price, because they may be killed year after year after year with no real purpose. There is no solution coming and there is no end point.

It's easy to target and demonize gulls or cormorants or wolves instead of the people and businesses who are causing the problems by destroying or fragmenting habitat, polluting environments, overhunting or overfishing or creating situations where animals are attracted and then killing them because they are and so much more.

03/26/2026

Dr. Birute Galdikas, a great advocate for orangutans and other animals and a friend to Zoocheck. RIP.

Memorialways Dr. Birute Galdikas Los Angeles, CA Death-Obituary: Primatologist, Founder of Orangutan Foundation International, Dies At 79 Memorial Ways March 25, 2026 2 minutes read 0 Birutė Galdikas, a pioneering scientist and leading advocate for orangutan conservation, has passed away at the age...

03/05/2026

Interesting video about Storm, a wild polar bear that ended up at the Winnipeg Zoo -

Storm is one of the stars of the Winnipeg Zoo. Previously, this polar bear lived on the ice floes of the Canadian Far North. There, he narrowly escaped a dea...

03/04/2026

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