Nicholas Read
Vancouver Sun

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Potential for dangerous diseases to enter the country with animals has led to a federal environment ministry review of how Canada regulates the import of exotic species. And that could have a direct bearing on the kinds of snakes, lizards, toads and alligators you're able to buy at your local pet shop.

Because new diseases such as SARS, avian flu, monkey pox and West Nile virus are believed to have originated in animals, environment ministers from across Canada asked federal regulators last year to devise new ways to control the movement of exotic animals and, by extension, the spread of possibly harmful pathogens.

The result is the National Wildlife Disease Strategy, which calls for regulations and enforcement procedures to be "reviewed and strengthened or augmented as necessary to minimize the risk of the movement and spread of the full range of wildlife disease threats."

Ministers will meet in Ottawa to discuss them next month.

Ted Leighton, executive director of the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre, which liaises between Canada's four veterinary colleges and the government, said by phone from Saskatoon: "Until very recently you'd have a hard time convincing busy bureaucrats and busy politicians that this is important.

"Now they know that it is."

"The risks are going up. The number of wild-animal-associated diseases getting into people is going up, so by all means let's figure it out."

As things stand, federal and provincial regulations surrounding the importation of exotic animals are spotty. In some cases there are none.

For example, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has no regulations governing importation of most rodents. Among reptiles and amphibians, only some turtles and tortoises are regulated.

Regarding rodents, CFIA policy states: "They are not regulated under the health of animals regulations, and as a result, no Canadian Food Inspection Agency import permit or health certificate is required [to import them]. Normally there will be no inspections at the border."

Regarding reptiles and amphibians, the CFIA states: "No import permit is required, nor a health certificate and no inspection will normally be done at the border. Imports are permitted from any country, for any use, to any destination in Canada."

There are no statistics kept on how many exotic animals are brought into Canada. The number could be in the thousands or millions, Leighton says.

Added to that is a decline in the number of border inspections to enforce what rules exist. According to the Canadian Wildlife Service website the number fell to 1,873 in 2001 from 6,940 in 1999. No statistics are available yet for 2002-03.

Canada's concern follows warnings in other countries. In July 2003 the British medical journal Lancet stated: "The practice of taking animals from the wild for the pet trade should swiftly be brought to an end."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has said exotic species could pose "a significant threat" to public health, domestic animals, agriculture and wildlife.

Leighton said any new restrictions must be accompanied by steps to minimize impact on the pet industry.