Press release: Brutal killing of a coyote

Ottawa, November 20, 2018 – SPA Canada condemns the actions of a group of youths who brutally killed a coyote last weekend in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and had the audacity to proudly film themselves in the act.

The actions of these youths go beyond the torture inflicted on that poor coyote. In fact, there is a strong correlation between people who commit acts of cruelty against animals and those who abuse other people. Whether they do it because they themselves have suffered abuse at the hands of people who are close to them or because of psychological disorders, animal abuse is not something to be taken lightly. Many murderers, and woman and child abusers have admitted to abusing animals in the past, before doing it to humans. Those who are found guilty of animal abuse should be sentenced to prison and receive psychological help. "It is not enough to condemn. We also need to deal with the underlying problem, and education is one of the best ways to build awareness and eradicate animal suffering caused by humans," says Dominique Routhier, Animal biologist for SPA Canada.

It is thanks to this video and a citizen who denounced the incident involving that coyote that we can shed a light on this horrible event. But how many other acts of violence against animals go unnoticed and unreported? How many animals still suffer unseen in Canada? SPA Canada demands that drastic changes be made to animal protection laws to better protect animals of all species, that more severe penalties be put into place as a deterrent, but, above all, that citizens of all ages receive better education so that animals are no longer perceived as unfeeling beings who can be abused at will. What happened to this coyote shows the importance of acting now and widening our circle of compassion to include all animal species, starting at an early age.

Press release: Brutal killing of a coyote—We need action now!