This means very often reviewing the gruesome evidence of trapping (most recently, there was the sad story of a coyote in Abbotsford, BC). Or at other times it is intervening when municipalities adopt lethal measures to deal with human-wildlife conflicts (most recently, APFA and Coyote Watch Canada convinced the MNR to deny Cornwall, ON a permit to kill coyotes).
We remember that each animal is an individual, and thus we become very weary when their right to life and freedom is so unabashedly ignored. Apart from the scale of suffering, this work can be challenging because we are up against the humongous budgets of animal use industries like the Fur Council of Canada, and the slick PR teams at companies like Canada Goose (who actually brag about using coyote fur).
So maybe this is why last night was so special to us. Maybe it’s because we so rarely witness the happy endings for the animals we are so committed to defending.
Last night members of APFA staff attended a coyote release organized by the Toronto Wildlife Centre. In addition to the TWC team, members of Coyote Watch Canada and journalist Michael Howie (whose account of the release can be found here) were present.
When TWC rescued the coyote months earlier, she was so sick with mange that she weighed only 12 pounds. But their love and care returned her to her former state, and it was time for her to go home again.
I’m tempted to use words here, to try to paint a picture. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, then the footage of her release could fill an encyclopedia.
For all you animal defenders out there, and for the incredible grassroots organizers who so tirelessly work to show Canadians the truth about the fur trade (Montreal, Niagara Falls, Vancouver, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Toronto), this video is for you:
