This month marks the 10th anniversary of Zoocheck’s campaign to secure the release of the Toronto Zoo’s last three surviving elephants (Toka, Thika and Iringa) and their subsequent 4,300 km transport to the PAWS sanctuary in California. Our campaign attracted a great deal of attention in Canada and around the […]
Bat Citizens, Defending the Ninjas of the Night by Zoocheck director Rob Laidlaw. An outstanding holiday season gift for any child (or adult) interested in wildlife or for anyone wanting to learn more about bats. The book is for readers aged 8 – 12 years, but can be read by […]
An Opinion Commentary by Barry Kent MacKay (October 2023) Those of us involved in conservation keep reading in news articles that rhino horn is used as an aphrodisiac, presumably a primal form of Viagra. Nope. Not true; it’s used for everything from dagger handles to headaches, but not to help […]
Attention Aspiring & Established Writers Writing about Animals Workshop with Nadja Lubiw-Hazard Author / veterinarian / Zoocheck board member October 4, 2023, Toronto, Ontario Writing Animals is a facilitated creative writing workshop designed for people (youth and adults) who are curious, passionate, or excited about animals and want to discover […]
By Rob Laidlaw Imagine being in a tiny tank, drawer or container where you can’t even stretch out. While understanding of the basic biological, behavioural and social needs of wild animals in captivity has grown substantially in recent decades, some animals are still subjected to longstanding, outdated, inhumane husbandry conditions […]
People often say they think that campaigning for animals seems like a fun job, but in truth about 90% of it is gathering and assessing information to support or lobby for good policy decisions for animal protection. A perfect example of this “less glamorous”, behind the scenes work can be […]
This 2013 blog has an important message that should still resonate with parents today. Guest blogger N. Glen Perrett suggests getting kids out into nature as an alternative to looking at animals in captivity. You don’t need studies to realize that children aren’t receiving the same amount of exercise or […]
Guest commentary by Kira Pedersen (July 2023) I recently visited a mobile zoo exhibit where, among other animals, I met a sloth for the first time and it wasn’t fun. While it was a miserable experience for me, it was undoubtedly worse for the sloth. The traveling animal show was […]
Click here to watch Max Foran’s presentation Fabulous presentation by world-renowned historian, author and educator Max Foran. We believe it’s one of the best talks ever about wildlife management and why Canada treats wildlife (and other animals) the way it does today. This was the keynote talk at Zoocheck’s Saving […]
The Subjugation of Canadian Wildlife, Failures of Principle and Policy is a must read book by long-time Zoocheck friend Max Foran and it’s one of the best books ever explaining why Canadian wildlife is treated like it is today. It should be required reading in every university and college wildlife […]
