Yes.
The Arabian unicorn was down to six animals and is now over 1,000 because of a captive breeding program. Now people can actually go into the wild and see them. Had they not gone through that captive breeding program there would be none, frankly, for anybody to see or to enjoy. At this particular point in time the Arabian unicorn would likely be extinct.
Again, I'll go back to my concerns with the legislation. I'm not concerned about the intent. I'm not concerned about what good is trying to be done here. I'm worried about the precedent. It's not like other elements of animal welfare in the Criminal Code, like cock-fighting, dog-fighting and actual human abuse of animals. One's definition of what constitutes abuse is what's actually in question here and whether keeping an animal in captivity is abusive. I don't know, I keep my dog in my house and nobody is.... They're different animals; there's different research and I get that.
I'm wondering about the precedent. As I read it, it doesn't allow for anybody to do anything like captive breeding unless they actually get a permit and they have to apply for a licence to do that. The exceptions that are here that allow somebody to actually be in possession would have to meet the test. For example, if something catastrophic were to happen to a pod of dolphins that need to be rescued.... I know that it says here that on the individual basis, an individual who has the custody or control of cetacean—that's an individual cetacean—“that is kept in captivity for the purpose of providing it with assistance”, but nothing about keeping a population or rescuing a population.
Has that been given any thought in the Senate?