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 | Most Canadians (84.7 percent) participated in some sort of
indirect wildlife-related activity in 1991, such as watching wildlife films or
television programs, reading wildlife books or magazines, visiting zoos, game
farms, aquariums, or natural history museums, and purchasing wildlife art,
crafts, or posters. |
| More than two-thirds (69.5 percent) of Canadians
participated in wildlife-related activities around their homes or cottages,
such as watching, photographing, feeding, or studying wildlife. They committed
an average of 74 days per participant to these residential activities during
the year and in total spent $445.6 million to participate. |
| More than one-third (35.9 percent) of Canadians encountered
wildlife incidentally while on trips or outings taken for some other purpose
such as business or vacation. They encountered wildlife on an average of 19
days during the year on these voyages. Their extra expenditures associated
with watching, photographing, feeding, or studying the wildlife encountered
amounted to $113.9 million. |
| Nearly one in five Canadians (18.7 percent) took special
trips or outings away from their homes in order to watch, photograph, feed, or
study wildlife. They devoted a total of 84.3 million days to these primary
nonconsumptive trips or outings, or an average of 22 days per participant, and
spent $2.4 billion on travel expenses and special equipment for these voyages. |
| Almost one in 10 Canadians (9.0 percent) joined or
contributed to wildlife organizations. A further 20.9 percent who did not join
or contribute in 1991 expressed an interest in doing so at some time in the
future. An estimated $151.2 million were spent on wildlife organizations in
the form of donations and membership fees during the year. |
| About one in 14 Canadians (7.4 percent) hunted waterfowl,
other birds, small mammals, or large mammals. A further 8.2 percent of
Canadians who did not hunt in 1991 expressed an interest in participating in
the future. Canadians committed a total of 24.3 million days to hunting in
1991, or an average of 16 days per hunter. Hunters spent an estimated $1.2
billion on food, lodging, transportation, equipment, and other items. In 1991,
1.3 percent of Canadians trapped small mammals for such reasons as food or fur
for personal use, income, or property protection. |
| An estimated $1.2 billion were spent by 5.5 percent of
Canadians to maintain, improve, or purchase natural areas to provide food or
shelter for wildlife. |
| The majority of Canadians (86.2 percent) stated that it is
important to maintain abundant wildlife. Similar high levels of support
occurred for the maintenance of abundant populations of waterfowl, other
birds, small mammals, and large mammals. Just over 60 percent of Canadians
would be willing to pay increased taxes or prices if this were needed to
conserve the wetlands, forests, and other habitats on which wildlife depends. |
| Strong support for measures to ensure the diversity of
wildlife was affirmed, with 83.3 percent of Canadians stating that it is very
or fairly important to protect endangered or declining wildlife populations.
Further, just over 50 percent of Canadians would be willing to pay increased
prices if this were required to ensure that wildlife is protected from the
effects of air pollution, acid rain, oil spills, or pesticides. |
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