Municipalities are a significant partner in keeping cats safe and protecting birds lives.
The Stewardship Centre, therefore, is happy to share the good news about the City of Calgary and its efforts on this front.
Earlier this week, Nature Canada, presented its inaugural Safe Cats Safe Birds Award to the City of Calgary for its progressive municipal policy that keeps cats safe and saves bird lives.
“The City of Calgary’s Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw is a model for other municipalities to follow,” says Eleanor Fast, Executive Director for Nature Canada. “Unsupervised outdoor cats are at considerable danger from collisions with cars, fights with wildlife, diseases and poisons and are responsible for an estimated 100 to 350 million bird deaths a year in Canada.”
“It is an honour for The City of Calgary to receive Nature Canada’s inaugural Safe Cats Safe Birds Award,” says Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary. “Our approach focuses on accessible service and education that encourages responsible and accountable pet ownership. The result is a safe and healthy community for pets, and I’m proud of the work done by my colleagues at The City of Calgary to achieve this.”
The Calgary bylaw requires both cat and dog owners to license their pets, and to keep animals from roaming at large. The bylaw is an important factor in Calgary’s success, but the strong public education campaign, the ‘I Heart My Pet’ rewards program, and the promise to return licensed pets, are motivation for pet owners, earning Calgary the highest compliance rates in the country.
The Stewardship Centre has a number of resources that we can offer to local communities interested in making a similar difference in the world of cats and birds. Our resources include presentations, briefing notes, research, and educational material.
Please contact us if you are a interested in finding out how we can support you and your efforts to keep cats safe and protect bird lives.
