Letter
Published: Thursday, June 01, 2006

The Hazina the Hippo story highlights the ongoing hypocrisy the B.C. SPCA demonstrates when deciding which cruelty complaints to act on, and which to ignore. The SPCA says the Greater Vancouver Zoo failed to meet the hippo's most basic needs because she had no company and her only forms of stimulation were a rubber tire and a ball. Yet the SPCA refuses to act when told about neglected dogs tied up on porches, locked in garages, never walked or socialized. SPCA officers have told me that "if the animal has food, water and shelter then there is nothing we can do," despite the fact that B.C.'s cruelty legislation clearly says otherwise.

So kudos to SPCA officials for helping Hazina; now they should apply the same level of reasoning to the neglected dogs in Vancouver -- five of which live within a five-block radius of my home -- all reported to the SPCA with no results. Or perhaps the SPCA feels that dirty mutts hidden in backyards don't tug the heartstrings of the public (and their pocketbooks) quite as much as a cute little baby hippo, and therefore aren't quite as important.

Gayle Kosh

Vancouver
© The Vancouver Sun 2006