Group protests near P.E.I. campground over how petting zoo animals are treated

An advocacy group is pushing for better animal rights legislation and enforcement after concerns were raised about the welfare of animals at a popular P.E.I. campground.

A summer haven for visitors and Islanders alike, Marco Polo Land in Cavendish has family-friendly attractions that include a petting zoo.

In recent weeks, people have raised concerns on social media about the health and safety of some of the animals. The complaints included dirty drinking water, visible injuries, and goats with hooves that weren't trimmed.

On Saturday, more than a dozenprotesters gathered across the road from the campground holding signs reading "Animals deserve better at Marco Polo Land" and "Do better, Marco Polo Land."

"There's some animals with fresh injuries, not-fresh water, and so it was brought to our attention and we decided that we wanted to be a voice for those who can't speak for themselves," said Karla Shalley of P.E.I. Cares, an environmental and animal advocacy group involved with the demonstration.

In an email to CBC News, Sally Pineau, general manager of Marco Polo Land, said some rabbits had been provided to the petting zoo with injured ears and were being "rehabbed back to health."

She explained that some of the concerns raised were legitimate and the campground had considered them "very seriously." For example, she said goats' hooves did need to be trimmed and that "water dishes had build-up in the bottom" and needed to be cleaned regularly. Pineau said both those issues have since been addressed.

There really are not many rules at all dealing with animals kept in commercial environments in P.E.I., including petting zoos.Camille Labchuk

P.E.I.'s Department of Agriculture visited the campground to investigate based on the complaints, a spokesperson told CBC News. Officials said they were satisfied with the changes Marco Polo had made and consider the matter closed.

This weekend, Marco Polo Land officials told CBC News they have no further comment.

'Very broad leeway' under act

Camille Labchuk, a lawyer and executive director with the animal rights group Animal Justice, noted P.E.I. doesn't require petting zoos to be licensed, and said that takes away a tool authorities could use to enforce standards if they were set out under the Animal Welfare Act.

"There really are not many rules at all dealing with animals kept in commercial environments in P.E.I., including petting zoos," she said Monday.

"Instead of prescribing standards under the law, the act and the regulations just give very broad leeway to the owners of animals or people engaged in commercial operations to set their own standards, and that's obviously insufficient for animals who really need clear guidelines and clear standards that must be met to assure their welfare."

Shalley said the situation shouldn't have got to the point that a protest was required.

Her group is calling on the province to put better legislation and stricter enforcement in place to protect the well-being of animals in settings like petting zoos.

Shalleysaid animals in petting zoos, companion animals and agriculture animals all need tougher rules on their side. "I think the government needs to look at that as a whole and enforcement needs to be stepped up."

Labchuk shares those concerns, and said while the Animal Welfare Act provides "a really good framework for animal welfare," the province needs to take that furtherby setting up licensing standards and conditions for petting zoos and similar operations.

"The act gives governments the power to create licences for certain activities and to regulate those activities, and the government has just never taken advantage of that power," she said.

"The rules are in place in the first place so we can protect those vulnerable beings, and they're the ones who deserve those protections that we've enacted for them."