The BC SPCA opposes the keeping, breeding and importing of captive raptors to hunt any animal species due to the pain, suffering, and harassment of the animals targeted and the often inhumane husbandry practices and training techniques. Additionally, the current practice in BC allows young birds to be taken from the wild and often improperly trained wild or captive-bred birds are set free or are never recovered, thus suffering poor welfare. The BC SPCA is opposed to both practices and to the inhumane methods of raising and using live food species for falconry birds.
The BC SPCA does not oppose the keeping and use of non-releasable raptors from rehabilitation programs in legitimate educational and wildlife management programs as long as their Five Freedoms are met. Educational activities must have specific learning goals as part of a humane education curriculum, and must not be for entertainment, sport promotion or commercial gain. Wildlife management programs may include flying raptors as a non-lethal management tool to address nuisance wildlife at airports, grain elevators, landfills, and buildings in order to drive other animals away from situations in which they could be injured or killed.
Approved by the Board of Directors – August 2009
