Keep a species at risk for science or education
What you need to know if you want to possess or transport a species at risk for educational and scientific purposes in Ontario.
The law
Ontario’s Endangered Species Act protects extirpated, endangered and threatened species — animals and plants that are in decline and disappearing from the province.
You need to follow certain rules, if you want to keep or transport an extirpated, endangered or threatened species.
These rules depend on whether you're an educational organization:
- a provincially or municipally owned and operated museum, science centre or other similar place (called curatorial institutions)
- a university or college that is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
- a college of applied arts and technology (under the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Act, 2002)
Source law
This is a summary of the provincial laws. You can find a complete set of provincial rules related to this activity in:
This page is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on it to determine your legal obligations. To determine your legal obligations, consult the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and its regulations.
If you need legal advice, consult a legal professional. In the event of an error on this page or a conflict between this page and any applicable law, the law prevails.
Rules for educational organizations
You can keep a species, whether it is alive, dead or a part (e.g. a turtle shell) for a scientific or educational purpose.
You must:
- register with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
- only get the species from a person who is allowed to have it
- keep living species safe from harm while you have it
- only transport species to another educational organization or a veterinarian
- create and maintain a record that includes:
- what you have (e.g. species name, if it is alive or dead, if it is a part, such as a shell of a turtle)
- the number of things you have
- the date you got it
- where you got it from
- a description of any injuries (if living)
- the circumstances of its death (if it dies while you have it)
- the circumstances of transfer (if you transferred it to another organization)
- keep this record for as long as you have the species — and give a copy to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks within 14 days, if asked
Rules for individuals
You can't keep or transport a living animal or plant that is a species at risk.
You can still possess a dead (or part of a dead) species at risk — depending on what you will do with the species.
If you plan to keep it for educational/scientific purposes (e.g. school exhibit, nature club)
You must:
- register the possession with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
- describe your scientific or educational activity when you register
- transport the species to an educational organization when you're done
If you only plan to transport it to an educational organization
You must do so within 7 days of acquiring the dead species (or part of one).
Find an injured animal
If you encounter an injured animal, you can take it to:
- a veterinarian
- wildlife custodian (a person authorized to take care of sick or injured wildlife)
When you need to register
Educational organizations
- register only once, if you plan to keep a dead or live species at risk
- register using a Notice of Activity form
Non-educational organizations/others
- register every time you acquire a species at risk for a scientific or educational purpose
- register using a Notice of Possession form
How to register
Identify a species at risk
If you are unsure about a certain species — and would like help identifying or confirming what it is — you can see photos and get more information on the Endangered Species website.