(City of Saskatoon/Submitted)

By CKOM News Staff

Sask. man charged for possessing zebras without proper licence

Oct 24, 2023 | 2:48 PM

The law is black and white for a Saskatchewan man facing charges related to the seizure of five zebras.

Nicholas Hazell will appear in Indian Head Provincial Court on Nov. 7 on charges of importing, possessing and holding zebras captive without the necessary licences.

Saskatchewan conservation officers seized the African animals from a rural property on June 13 as part of an investigation under Saskatchewan’s Captive Wildlife Regulations.

Keeping restricted animals like zebras in the province requires a zoo licence. Generally, there are fines for possessing, importing and exporting restricted species in the province.

In a previous interview, Ffion Cassidy, a wildlife ecologist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, said that to the best of her knowledge, the province has never had a zebra investigation.

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She said the ministry receives several calls annually about illegal species in the province, which are addressed on a case-by-case basis to ensure everything is in line with the regulations.

The dazzle of zebras was placed in foster care at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo in June.

Last week, the zoo confirmed the zebras will stay through the winter and urgently require a new, heated barn.

The zebras require about 500 square feet of space per animal, and the current barn only provides around 250 square feet. The city recommended a new facility with a budget of $100,000 to be funded by the province.

The zebras are adapting to their new home, zoo manager Jeff Mitchell said in a previous interview, adding that zookeepers can tell the zebras apart from their stripes, which are “just like fingertips.”

Mitchell said the zebras remain under provincial ownership, and there is no timeline for how long they will stay at the zoo.

–With files from 650 CKOM’s Mia Holowaychuk