11/30/2023
🦝🚨UPDATE🚨🦝
It is with immeasurable sadness that we are sharing this update with you all today, however, we have vowed to keep you abreast as much and as often as we are able. Confirmation was received at a recent court hearing that more than 50% of the raccoons seized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) have either died while in their "care" (some during careless transport) or have been euthanized, many unnecessarily.
On Sept 26th, in an unjustified military-style raid, the MNRF besieged Mally’s Third Chance Raccoon Rescue (citing regulatory infractions) and inhumanely seized all 87 raccoons in receipt of medical and/or rehabilitative care.
*Note* The number of raccoons seized was not confirmed prior due to the MNRF also seizing all the organization's paperwork, however it has now been confirmed that 87 were, in fact, removed from the premises.
At the hearing, which took place Monday of last week, the MNRF informed the court that two of the raccoons were put to death and submitted for Rabies testing after they allegedly bit their researchers during swab testing. Another of Mally’s raccoons was euthanized by this "humane care team" after they broke the animal's jaw performing swab testing! Please know that mandibular fractures and dislocations can commonly be surgically repaired and the animal would most often make a full recovery. However, the MNRF failed to provide the required surgical treatment for their forceful actions which led to the subsequent fracture, rather their solution was instead, to euthanize the animal.
The MNRF is also now alleging active Distemper infections across all of Mally’s raccoons, however, this would not be possible, as the vast majority of the seized raccoons were fully vaccinated against Distemper. Not to mention, they were also housed separately while in receipt of medical care, or outside in secured pre-release enclosures. Those that were new intakes and/or unwell were immediately placed in isolation rooms for quarantine, where appropriate PPE and infection control measures were employed. Exposure to the virus however, may have occurred through the MNRF's inappropriate and careless handling of the raccoons during the raid and seizure where for eight or so long hours, all the animals (pre-release, isolated and medical care recipients) were loaded together into the same trucks, the same space, amongst possibly infected bodily and respiratory secretions, thereby creating a potentially contaminated environment that would only promote the transmission of a contact/droplet virus, like Distemper, making easier contraction of said virus for those nearby. Additionally, the animals are under the care of researchers, and we know that injecting the animals with the Distemper vaccine (or the live virus), would also cause the raccoons to test positive. These would be considered similar to a 'false positive' test result, due to them being fully vaccinated, and not affecting the animals in a virulent manner as Distemper normally would.
Further, the MNRF has also claimed to the court that one of the reasons they raided Mally's Third Chance Raccoon Rescue was for the safety of the animals, yet, interestingly, only approximately 40 of the 87 raccoons that were seized were still alive as of last week, the rest having died or been euthanized while under their care. To those who do not know, Wildlife Rehabililtation Centres are meant to act as hospitals for sick, injured and orphaned wild animals, a cause the Ministry does not undertake or fund. And while a certain level of death and euthanasia is expected in wildlife rehabilitation, the numbers being reported for Mally’s raccoons under the MNRF's care is excessive to say the least. Attempts to have an unbiased, independent Veterinarian assess the health status and welfare of the animals have been fully blocked by the MNRF, forcing us to wait for the courts to decide on the use of an external veterinarian.
We want to know what the MNRF is hiding? Why are they trying to prevent an independent, unbiased Veterinarian experienced with wildlife, from assessing the health and welfare of Mally’s raccoons? And what is going to happen to the remaining 40 raccoons that we so desperately want to see placed in the kind and competent hands of an authorized wildlife rehabilitator for the most appropriate care?
The Mally’s legal team is pushing for answers and we, as the public, want those answers now! The legitimacy of our concerns around the safety and well-being of the raccoons seized by the MNRF that were addressed initially by wildlife rehabilitators and rescues across Ontario are now, as anticipated, being realized, with more than half of Mally's innocent animals dying or being killed at the hands of the Science and Monitoring Section of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, by the very government our tax paying dollars fund to protect our wildlife, but in fact do the complete opposite. Our continued hope is to save the remaining 40 raccoons from certain death, committed by the MNRF and placed into appropriate rehabilitative care, while also reinstating the critically needed custodian authorization of Mally’s Third Chance Raccoon Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.
A third RALLY has been organized by 'Justice For Mally's' supporters and will be taking place on Saturday, DECEMBER 2nd at Queens Park in Toronto at 1:00pm. We encourage the community to attend and to not give up hope, as the remaining 40 raccoons need us more than ever! Please see the link below for more details.
https://facebook.com/events/s/peaceful-rally-for-mallys-at-q/1510944919727365/
We are most grateful to everyone who has stayed onboard as monthly donors to help continue this legal battle, not only for Mally’s Third Chance Raccoon Rescue, but for creating a safe, hospitable and thriving environment for all wildlife rehabilitators in Ontario going forward.
To all the raccoons whose lives have been sacrificed, please know we will never stop fighting for you, for justice, and we will never forget your beautiful faces, you were so loved... May you rest in peace sweet bears, your battle in over. đź’”
Sincerely,
Tiffany Devon, Volunteer Spokesperson
and the Mally’s Raccoon Rescue and Care Team
