The City of Kenora won’t be changing its by-law to allow the keeping of birds of prey in city limits.
A request was made for someone to train a Harris hawk in a residential area.
Heather Lajeunesse is the city’s Enforcement Services Manager and says she’s worried about people with small pets.
“These birds of prey are skilled wild hunters that may view animals such as cats, small dogs and other pets as potential prey, which could lead to attacks, injuries or even fatalities,” Lajeunesse reported to council recently.
Lajeunesse says there are other issues for keeping birds of prey.
“Additionally, our officers are not training in handling wild birds. So, there are many unknowns which could put a strain on existing municipal services and potentially could lead inadequate monitoring of falconry activities.”
Lajeunesse says there is only one person trained in falconry in the Kenora area, but they live outside the city limits and aren’t governed by city by-laws.
