Avian Influenza (bird flu)

Avian influenza, specifically highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a very contagious virus that can infect all bird species, most commonly:

  • waterfowl
  • shorebirds
  • raptors (birds of prey)
  • corvids (crows and ravens)
  • domestic flocks
    • chickens
    • turkeys
    • quail

Some mammals have also been infected, including:

  • wild animals like:
    • red fox
    • skunks
    • mink
  • domestic species like:
    • dairy cattle in the USA

Increase in HPAI cases

Since spring 2022, there has been a world-wide increase in HPAI including ongoing detections in Canada and the United States. In the future, HPAI cases are expected to continue across North America, especially during spring and fall bird migration.

The chance of human infection with avian influenza viruses is currently low, but it can cause illness and possible death. Use caution when handling wild birds and mammals to reduce risk of exposure to this and other diseases.

Avoid contact with wildlife

Members of the public, and their pets, should avoid direct contact with wildlife (alive or dead), including:

  • wild birds
  • wild mammals
  • feces

If contact with wildlife is unavoidable, learn how to take appropriate precautions including handling guidelines to protect your health.

Learn more about HPAI outbreaks and guidance in Canada at Avian influenza.

If you encounter a sick or dead wild bird, report it to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative by phone at 1-866-673-4781 or online.

The law

This page is a summary of the provincial laws. You can find a complete set of rules related to the keeping, buying and selling of wildlife in Ontario in:

Possession

In general, you can keep a dead wild animal or bird you have found or received.

In some cases, you must register that you have a dead wild animal to keep it.

It is illegal in Ontario to possess or use products, including attractants and lures, that contain or claim to contain any of the following from a cervid:

  • feces
  • urine
  • blood
  • gland oil
  • saliva
  • other bodily fluids

You cannot possess the gallbladder of a bear that has been removed from the carcass.

Buying and selling

In general, you cannot buy or sell game wildlife or specially protected wildlife, whether dead or alive. Some limited exceptions exist.

Migratory game birds

Rules regarding keeping, buying or selling migratory game birds are the responsibility of the federal government under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994.

For more information, contact the Canadian Wildlife Service at:

Species at risk

The keeping, buying and selling of endangered and threatened species is regulated under the Ontario Endangered Species Act, 2007. Endangered or threatened species are listed on the Species at Risk in Ontario list.

For more information contact the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Registering a dead wild animal

When registration is required, a Notice of Possession allows you to register a dead wild animal to keep it for personal use.

When you need to register

Large mammals

This group includes:

  • black bear
  • white-tailed deer
  • moose
  • American elk
  • woodland caribou

Additional rules may apply to woodland caribou (forest-dwelling boreal populations) under the Endangered Species Act, 2007.

You must register a large mammal if you

  • find it dead (such as roadkill)
  • are a landowner or wildlife agent who has lawfully killed a black bear in protection of property
  • receive it as a gift from a person other than the person who lawfully killed it
  • lawfully import a carcass from outside of Ontario

You do not need to register a large mammal if you:

  • lawfully killed it (such as with the appropriate Ontario hunting licence)
  • lawfully purchased it
  • receive it as a gift from a person who lawfully killed it
  • lawfully possessed it before its death (such as in a licensed zoo)
  • are a taxidermist or butcher possessing it in the course of your business

Raptors (birds of prey)

This group includes:

  • bald eagle
  • peregrine falcon
  • northern goshawk
  • golden eagle
  • gyrfalcon
  • northern harrier
  • American kestrel
  • American swallow-tailed kite
  • merlin
  • osprey
  • turkey vulture
  • certain hawks (broad-winged, Cooper’s, red-shouldered, red-tailed, rough-legged, and sharp-shinned)
  • certain owls (barn, barred, boreal, burrowing, eastern screech, great gray, great horned, long-eared, northern hawk, northern saw-whet, short-eared, and snowy)

Additional rules may apply to golden eagle, short-eared owl and barn owl under the Endangered Species Act, 2007.

You must register a raptor if you:

  • find it dead (such as roadkill)
  • are a landowner or wildlife agent who has lawfully killed it in protection of property
  • receive it as a gift from a person other than the person who lawfully killed it
  • lawfully import a carcass from outside of Ontario

You do not need to register a raptor if you:

  • lawfully purchased it
  • receive it as a gift from a person who lawfully killed it
  • lawfully possessed it before its death (such as in a licensed zoo)
  • are a taxidermist possessing it in the course of your business

Furbearing mammals (and their pelts)

This group includes:

  • American badger
  • beaver
  • bobcat
  • coyote
  • fisher
  • fox (Arctic, gray, red)
  • lynx
  • marten
  • mink
  • muskrat
  • opossum
  • otter
  • polar bear
  • raccoon
  • red squirrel
  • striped skunk
  • weasel (least, long-tailed, short-tailed or ermine)
  • wolf
  • wolverine

Additional rules may apply under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 to American badger, gray fox, polar bear and wolverine that originate from Ontario.

You must register a furbearing mammal if you:

  • find it dead (such as roadkill)
  • are a landowner or wildlife agent who has lawfully killed it in protection of property
  • receive the carcass of a furbearing mammal (or any part of the carcass, such as the pelt) as a gift from someone who lawfully killed it
  • lawfully import a carcass from outside of Ontario

You do not need to register a furbearing mammal if you:

  • lawfully killed it (such as if you are a licensed trapper or small game hunter)
  • lawfully possessed it before its death (such as in a licensed zoo)
  • lawfully purchased it
  • are a taxidermist or butcher possessing it in the course of your business

Specific rules apply to the possession of the pelts if furbearing mammals

How to register a dead wild animal

There are 2 options to register a dead wild animal. You can either:

  1. Submit your notice of possession online using the Natural Resources Information Portal (NRIP).
  2. Download the Notice of Possession Form and submit it to the ministry work centre closest to you.

After you register

You will receive an official confirmation of registration by email.

You must keep a copy of the confirmation email as proof of your registration for as long as you are in possession of the wildlife carcass or part of the carcass.

Keep your information up to date

You must keep your contact information on your notice of possession up to date.

To update your contact information for a notice of possession you submitted prior to November 17, 2023, you must:

  • register a new notice of possession in NRIP
  • reference your old confirmation number in your application form (you will receive a new confirmation of registration from the ministry)

To update your contact information for a notice of possession you submitted on or after November 17, 2023, you can update that information in your NRIP account.

Buy, sell or give dead wildlife

In most cases, you cannot buy, sell, barter or trade any part of dead game wildlife or specially protected wildlife. Game and specially protected wildlife species are listed in the Wildlife Schedules regulation under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997.

These restrictions are in place to avoid the commercialization and privatization of wildlife in Ontario and are key to the sustainable management of wildlife in North America.

Some limited exceptions exist: 

Pelts

You may buy or sell pelts (the untanned skin of furbearing mammals) if you follow the rules for possessing, buying and selling a pelt.

Hides and cast antlers

You may buy or sell hides and cast antlers without a licence if you follow the rules for buying or selling wild animal hides or antlers. 

Hides are the untanned and untreated skin of a:

  • black bear (with the head and claws attached to its skin)
  • white-tailed deer (without the head attached to its skin)
  • moose (without the head attached to its skin)
  • elk (without the head attached to its skin)

Cast antlers are intact and untreated naturally shed antlers from living:

  • caribou
  • elk
  • white-tailed deer
  • moose

Antlers from harvested, or found dead, cervids are not cast antlers.

Carcasses of furbearing mammal

You may buy carcasses of a furbearing mammal from the holder of a trapping licence or a farmer’s licence to sell pelts and carcasses if you are buying:

  • for a purpose other than personal use, in which case the seller must issue an invoice listing:
    • the number of carcasses sold
    • species involved
    • name of the seller and buyer
    • date of the sale
  • for personal use, in which case no licence or invoice is required.

Note: You cannot buy or sell carcasses of furbearing mammals for consumption by anyone other than the buyer or their immediate family. In such cases, the seller must advise the buyer in writing that the meat has not been inspected under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001

Finished products made from wildlife

You may buy or sell certain finished products made from wildlife in limited circumstances.

You may buy or sell hides, cast antlers, pelts or other parts of furbearing mammals (for example, skulls) that have been lawfully bought or sold and then tanned, plucked or treated, or manufactured into commercial products. Examples of some products could include:

  • bear rug
  • pet food
  • hats or mitts
  • taxidermy mounts of furbearing mammals

These products must first have been lawfully bought or sold in their raw state and then turned into a product by the buyer, who may then lawfully resell without a licence.

You may buy or sell jewellery or artwork made from game wildlife, if the commercial value is in the piece of jewellery or artwork itself and not in the wildlife:

  • artwork or jewelry made from specially protected wildlife may not be sold
  • artwork does not include wildlife treated by a taxidermist

You may sell ring-necked pheasant in a dressed condition in a container or package that clearly shows the name and address of the person who sold it.

For more information about the above exceptions, and for any other information regarding buying or selling wildlife, contact your local ministry work centre.

Giving as a gift

You may give a dead wild animal as a gift, if you legally acquired it, although you may need to register it first. For more information, refer to the rules on when you need to register a dead wild animal.