At ARK II Canadian Animal Rights Network, our mission has always been clear: to protect animals, their habitats, and the health of the planet. Every forest cleared, every ocean polluted, every species lost tells the same story, that the fate of animals and the fate of the environment are inseparable from our own.
From the campaign trail to the classroom, ARK II has worked alongside environmental and animal welfare organizations to confront some of the most pressing issues of our time: endangered species, habitat destruction, pirate whaling, shark finning, sport hunting, trapping, fishing, and the reckless logging and mining that continue in provincial parks.
This is not only an animal issue, it’s a moral, ecological, and generational one. Canada’s wildlife and wild places are part of our national identity, yet they are under unprecedented threat. What happens to them, happens to us.
Endangered Species: A Crisis Close to Home
It’s easy to think of endangered species as distant concerns, tigers in Asia, elephants in Africa. But Canada is facing its own biodiversity emergency. More than 800 wildlife species in Canada are listed as at risk of extinction, according to the federal government’s Species at Risk Public Registry.
From the southern resident killer whales off British Columbia’s coast to the woodland caribou of the boreal forest, iconic species are vanishing due to habitat loss, industrial expansion, pollution, and climate change.
ARK II has joined campaigns urging the federal and provincial governments to enforce stronger protections under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), legislation that is too often ignored or delayed when it conflicts with commercial interests.
Protecting endangered species isn’t only about saving individual animals. It’s about safeguarding the ecosystems that sustain them, and us.
Habitat Destruction: Losing the Web of Life
Every time a forest is cut, a wetland drained, or a coastline developed, countless species lose their homes. Habitat destruction is the single greatest driver of extinction on Earth, and Canada is no exception.
Industrial logging continues to destroy old-growth forests in British Columbia, despite their critical role as carbon sinks and wildlife sanctuaries. Across the Prairies, grasslands that once supported bison and migratory birds are disappearing under agricultural and urban sprawl.
ARK II stands with Indigenous land defenders, conservation scientists, and grassroots activists in calling for permanent protection of remaining wild habitats, not just on paper, but in practice. Every hectare saved is a lifeline for species that cannot speak for themselves.
Pirate Whaling and the Fight for Ocean Life
Though commercial whaling is banned in most of the world, illegal “pirate whaling” still threatens marine ecosystems. ARK II has long opposed any exploitation of whales, including so-called “scientific whaling” used as a loophole by certain nations.
Canada, once home to whaling stations on both coasts, banned whaling in 1972. Yet the country’s silence on modern international whaling conflicts is troubling. Whales play a crucial role in ocean health — their feeding and migration patterns help circulate nutrients that support plankton, the foundation of the marine food chain.
In protecting whales, we protect the oceans themselves.
Shark Finning: Ending Cruelty in Canadian Waters
ARK II has actively campaigned against shark finning, the brutal practice of slicing fins from live sharks and discarding their bodies at sea. Every year, an estimated 70–100 million sharks are killed this way.
Canada became the first G7 nation to ban the import and export of shark fins in 2019, after years of advocacy from environmental and animal rights groups, including ARK II members who helped raise awareness and pressure lawmakers.
This victory shows what’s possible when Canadians take a stand for compassion and conservation. But the work isn’t over. The global shark population continues to plummet, and Canada must push for stronger enforcement of international bans and sustainable ocean policies.
Sport Hunting and Trapping: Tradition or Cruelty?
The image of the “great Canadian outdoors” is often tied to hunting and trapping, but in today’s world, these activities raise serious ethical and ecological questions.
Sport hunting, killing for trophies rather than survival, has no place in a society that claims to value wildlife. Many species, including wolves, bears, and coyotes, are hunted not for food but for “management” or recreation.
Trapping remains a legal form of animal exploitation in Canada, despite the suffering it causes. Steel-jaw leghold traps, body-grip traps, and snares are indiscriminate, killing or injuring non-target animals like dogs, birds, and endangered species.
ARK II continues to advocate for a complete ban on recreational trapping and sport hunting, calling for humane, science-based wildlife management that prioritizes ecosystem balance and animal welfare.
Fishing: The Silent Crisis Beneath the Surface
Fishing is often seen as a peaceful pastime or a pillar of Canadian industry. Yet commercial and recreational fishing contribute to massive ecological damage. Overfishing has decimated once-abundant stocks like Atlantic cod, and bycatch kills countless marine mammals, turtles, and seabirds every year.
Fish feel pain and distress, as numerous scientific studies have confirmed, yet they remain largely excluded from animal welfare laws.
ARK II supports the transition toward sustainable, plant-based seafood alternatives and advocates for tighter regulations on industrial fisheries, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas like the Arctic and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Logging and Mining in Provincial Parks: A Betrayal of Protection
Canada’s provincial parks and protected areas were created to safeguard biodiversity, yet loopholes in legislation allow logging, mining, and resource extraction to continue inside their boundaries.
In Ontario alone, vast sections of Crown land designated for “protection” remain open to industrial activity. This undermines public trust and jeopardizes fragile ecosystems that serve as critical refuges for wildlife.
ARK II has joined campaigns demanding a ban on industrial development within all park and conservation boundaries and stronger government accountability for conservation targets.
A park should mean protection, not profit.
A Shared Responsibility
Every issue ARK II addresses, from trapping to deforestation, from shark finning to species protection, is connected by a single truth: animals and the environment are part of the same living system.
When habitats are destroyed, animals suffer. When species vanish, ecosystems collapse. And when ecosystems fail, humanity faces the consequences, food insecurity, pandemics, and climate instability.
Protecting animals means protecting ourselves.
What You Can Do
- Support conservation organizations that protect habitats and wildlife.
- Choose plant-based foods to reduce pressure on ecosystems and marine life.
- Avoid products made from animals or endangered species (including fur, leather, and exotic skins).
- Speak up against habitat destruction: write to your MP, sign petitions, and share information online.
- Reduce consumption and support sustainable, ethical companies that respect animals and the Earth.
A Future Worth Defending
The story of Canada’s natural world is still being written. Whether it ends in decline or renewal depends on the choices we make today.
ARK II envisions a country where wild animals roam freely, oceans thrive, forests stand tall, and compassion guides our relationship with the planet. By uniting environmental protection with animal rights, we can move beyond the false divide between “nature” and “human progress.”
We share this planet, and its future, with every living being. Let’s make sure that future is one of respect, not regret.