"But according to the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, there are countless unmonitored farms and "roadside zoos" housing exotic wildlife."

Shawn Eccles, the BC SPCA's Chief Animal Protection Officer and a long-time SPCA investigator is quoted in the Province, saying,"The scary thing for us is, we travel by hundreds of farms each year and we have no idea what's on the other side of the fence," said Shawn Eccles, an SPCA animal protection officer.

"The problem we're dealing with is, we're just not aware of what's out there . . . There could be huge numbers."

We simply don't believe that the SPCA doesn't know about most, maybe even all, roadside zoos in BC. There is no other agency to complain to in BC and we have proof that the SPCA was told years ago of several. Perhaps the SPCA has closed down these businesses without issuing press releases; we would welcome being told that by the SPCA.

The SPCA also told AAS and others that it didn't know where all the puppymills in BC were. It had been complained to for years about most, probably every, dog breeding operation in BC, even admitting to knowing of one for 40 years. It did nothing about these puppymills except help to keep them in business and tell the complainants that no law was being broken.

"We didn't know" is an excuse that is used repeatedly by the SPCA to the media and hence to the public. Why can't the SPCA just honestly say, "We know where all these zoos and puppymills are and we are determined to investigate them all and have charges laid where warranted"?