My interest in roadside zoos began with an email from a former colleague last April. He alerted me to news about a real estate listing unlike any I had ever seen. A zoo for sale (!) in southwestern Ontario. a turnkey operation that included 450 mammals, birds and reptiles… and a snack bar. I found the broker’s pitch for Greenview Aviaries Park and Zoo on YouTube. “There’s everything here from ducks and swans to literally lions, tigers and bears,” he suggested. And all this for the net sum of $4.5 million, a bargain compared to Toronto real estate prices. But the listing got me thinking – could anyone buy or operate a zoo in Ontario? Shockingly, in many parts of the province, the answer is yes. Greenview Aviaries — like at least a dozen other facilities in Ontario — is what is sometimes referred to as a roadside zoo. These businesses, which range from still animal collections to larger, established locations, are often not accredited by any kennel association. And in Ontario, all zoos are unlicensed. Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice, describes it this way: “Ontario is the Wild West. There is almost no supervision in zoos. There are no regulations and no permit is required to set up a zoo. So I can’t build a patio in my backyard without a permit, but I could open a zoo and fill it with wild, dangerous, exotic animals.” “We have to remember that for us, it’s just a few minutes of walking and momentary entertainment. But for the animals, it’s a life of psychological and physical hardship,” he said. Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice, says, “Ontario is the Wild West. There is almost no supervision in zoos.” (CTV W5) W5 partnered with two organizations — Animal Justice and World Animal Protection — to expose the sometimes substandard and dangerous conditions in many of these facilities. During the summer, both organizations sent researchers, posing as tourists, to zoos across the province. They each collected hundreds of photos and videos documenting animal welfare and public safety concerns at the facility. Last fall, World Animal Justice released a public report and filed a complaint against 11 facilities with the Provincial Animal Welfare Inspectorate, citing possible violations of Ontario’s Standards of Care Regulations. Among their concerns are undersized enclosures that prevent animals from engaging in natural movements and behavior, housing social animals in solitary conditions, and poorly constructed enclosures that could lead to animal escapes. Michèle Hamers, Wildlife Campaign Manager at World Animal Protection, visited the sites. “Most of these zoos, they keep the animals in very barren conditions, very hard floors, no enrichment, very small cages,” he told W5. “One of the scariest moments for me was seeing an enclosure with three tigers and the enclosure fence too low to keep those tigers in.” Ontario has a history of roadside zoo escapes. These include a kangaroo escape from Papanack Park Zoo in Wendover, Ont. in 2021. He wandered into a nearby street and later died. In 2016, a lion escaped from the same zoo and had to be shot by zookeepers. Mark Drysdale, who managed three Ontario zoos, knows the challenges of caring for exotic animals. “Things can always go wrong. Of course they do,” he said. Mark Drysdale, who managed three Ontario zoos, knows the challenges of caring for exotic animals. “Things can always go wrong. Of course they do,” he said. (CTV W5) Drysdale’s first business in Wainfleet, Ont. closed to the public by Niagara Regional Public Health authorities due to safety concerns stemming from 17 documented incidents of biting and scratching. Ontario’s Provincial Animal Welfare Services inspects facilities, investigates complaints and attempts to enforce compliance with provincial animal welfare laws. But because Ontario zoo operators aren’t required to have a license, it’s largely up to individual municipalities to decide whether they want to restrict or allow exotic animal ownership. After facing community opposition to his zoo in Wainfleet, Drysdale moved his animals to Grand Bend and then to Maynooth, Ont. Each of these city municipalities ended up passing exotic animal laws to help force the closure of their facilities. “We had these incidents that made me an enemy. People jumped on it. And suddenly, you know, you’re the bad guy,” Drysdale told W5. What separates most roadside zoos from their better-known cousins, like the Toronto Zoo, is accreditation — adherence to industry standards set by the Accredited Zoos and Aquariums of Canada, also known as CAZA. Gabriela Mastromonaco is the Senior Director of Wildlife Science at the Toronto Zoo. “It would be ideal if we could transfer all these unaccredited facilities to accredited facilities. That will take time, energy and resources that I know don’t exist right now,” he said. Gabriela Mastromonaco, senior director of wildlife science at the Toronto Zoo, says it would be ideal if all of these unaccredited facilities became accredited, but “it will take time, energy and resources that I know are not there right now.” . (CTV W5) But some roadside zoo owners — like Alicia Patten at Greenview Aviaries, the facility listed for sale earlier this year — want to meet accreditation standards. This zoo was one of 11 named in Animal World’s recent complaint against the Ontario government. “A lot of things have to change. It needs to be more structured for everyone’s safety,” Patten told W5, referring to conditions at the zoo she recently purchased. “We are working with CAZA and we are ready to try to get accreditation from them, a huge long process. But I’m committed to doing that.” Gabriela Mastromonaco of the Toronto Zoo understands that accreditation may not be immediately possible for all zoos. “We have to keep trying to protect these animals with legislation, with other kinds of support and with people, communities and professionals looking after them,” he said. And while there is no timeline for zoo licensing in Ontario, a federal bill, S-241, known as the Jane Goodall Act, is making its way through the federal Senate. If S-241 becomes law, it would restrict owners from acquiring and raising animals in unaccredited facilities. A year after leaving the zoo business, even Mark Drysdale agrees that provincial or federal legislation would be really helpful for owners of Ontario’s unaccredited zoos. “Most of the people I know have these animals that are reasonable people, they all say, if we just knew the rules, we could deal with the rules.” Watch ‘Animal House’ on CTV W5, Saturday at 7pm
