12/22/2025
GREAT JOB CANADA! The US needs to follow in your footsteps.
Some news makes you stop scrolling for a second. This is one of those moments.
Canada’s Senate has passed Bill S-15, a bill meant to end the “new” captivity of great apes and elephants, and to stop them being used for entertainment shows and rides.
If you’ve ever watched an elephant sway back and forth in a small space, or seen an ape stare through glass like it’s waiting for something that never comes, you already know why people are emotional about this.
The idea is simple: these animals are not props.
Bill S-15 would make it an offence to newly possess, breed, or allow breeding of captive elephants and great apes, with limited exceptions like rescue, the animal’s best interests, conservation, or scientific research. It would also target performances that use these animals for entertainment.
It would not force animals already in captivity out overnight. Those animals are “grandfathered,” but the goal is to stop the cycle so captivity fades out over time.
The federal government has said elephants and great apes are self-aware, social, and deeply emotional. They form bonds. They grieve. They need space, choice, and stable family groups, not cold concrete and constant noise.
The same government note also pointed out a hard truth about Canada: winter. In this climate, captive elephants can spend a lot of time indoors. At the time of that release, the government said there were over 20 captive elephants and about 30 captive great apes in Canada.
There’s one important catch, though: this is not fully law yet. The official Parliament tracker shows Bill S-15 is still waiting for first reading in the House of Commons.
Still, getting this far matters. It’s a sign that Canada is seriously debating what we owe animals who feel fear, comfort, boredom, and love.
Maybe, one day soon, the next generation will look back and say, “I can’t believe we ever thought this was okay.”
References:
Senate passes bill to protect elephants and great apes - Senate GRO
Government of Canada introduces bill to protect elephants and great apes in captivity - Environment and Climate Change Canada
S-15 (44-1) - LEGISinfo - Parliament of Canada
Bill S-15: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act - Department of Justice Canada
Disclaimer: Images are generated using AI for illustration purposes only.
