A First Nations Elder says instead of finding ways to keep animals out of communities, cities across the province should focus on providing more green spaces for animals, plants trees, and remove invasive plant species that may be inedible to our native animals.

Elder Betty McKenna made these comments on a Saskatchewan SPCA webinar about including Indigenous history in animal welfare practices. She talked about the importance of sharing the land with animals and all the crucial roles they play in nature, such as cleaning up the remnants of decomposing animals.

She also touched on the negative chain of events that occurs when animals are poisoned. Her father called it the ‘circle of death’. Once poison is left out to kill one animal, it is transferred to the birds, rodents, and insects that help clean up after the animal dies.

She adds that animals have been here far longer than we have, make up the ground we walk on, and they deserve to be respected as such, instead of getting chased out of their habitats.