Wildlife

Canadian Wildlife

Beaver dams abound in Canada, but you will have to look hard to see a beaver. The largest rodent in Canada is just one of 70 000 species of plants, animals, and other organisms found in Canada.

Many of these animals have engrained themselves in the national consciousness. The beaver, for example, has become a national symbol. After all, the buck-toothed animal was once the mainstay of Canada’s fur trade.

Indeed, when the first settlers arrived in Canada, wildlife seemed unlimited. Beavers numbered in the millions. As a result, no conservation was practiced. The beaver was close to extinction by the mid-19th century. Other species, such as bison, became endangered. Others, such as the wild turkey, became extinct.

When the passenger pigeon vanished the federal government enacted legislation in 1917 to protect and manage migratory birds in Canada. Thirty years later, the Canadian Wildlife Service (then called the Dominion Wildlife Service) was created to protect both birds and animals.

Since then, further laws have been developed to protect Canadian wildlife. The federal, provincial, and territorial governments now share management of wildlife in Canada and wildlife conservation and management has been defined as the protection and use of wild animals and land necessary to support them.

This section is about animals and natural habitats in Canada.