The Ontario NDP has written to Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner,asking him to intervene and help Boogie, a Japanese macaque monkey suffering at a roadside zoo in Ontario. The NDP is requesting that Boogie be transferred to Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in Sunderland, Ontario. At the sanctuary, Boogie will have the opportunity to receive proper care, companionship, and space—fundamental needs he is currently denied.
Boogie is currently confined at Bervie Zoo in Kincardine, where he has been on display for several years in a small, barren cage—isolated and exhibiting distressing behaviours such as biting himself, pacing, and spinning repeatedly. Repetitive, stereotypic actions like these are often signs of psychological suffering brought on by prolonged confinement in poor conditions. Animal Justice first shared Boogie’s heartbreaking plight in 2022 when we released the largest zoo exposé in Canadian history, covering nearly every zoo in Ontario. CTV’s investigative affairs program W5 covered Boogie’s dire situation, highlighting the cruelty stemming from Ontario’s lack of proper zoo regulation and enforcement. Animal Justice visited Bervie Zoo again in 2023 and 2024, and despite complaints to Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services (AWS), it seems that nothing has changed for Boogie.
 NDP Urges Solicitor General to #SaveBoogieÂ
In a letter to Minister Kerzner, NDP MPP Jennie Stevens expressed deep concern over Boogie’s ongoing suffering, citing the stereotypic behaviours documented by Animal Justice and shown on W5. She also asserts that this case is not an isolated incident—Bervie Zoo has faced numerous animal welfare complaints in recent years, including the documented mistreatment of other animals such as zebras, lemurs, and macaws. Bervie is currently facing multiple charges for keeping animals in poor conditions, and authorities previously seized animals who were found living in a dark, feces-filled barn.
MPP Stevens also noted a decline in provincial orders and criminal charges since AWS took over animal welfare investigations from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 2019, despite AWS having a vastly larger operating budget by $15.25 million. She urges Minister Kerzner to investigate why animal welfare calls aren’t being taken seriously, and enforcement actions are delayed. Â
The letter concluded with a plea for Minister Kerzner to intervene and ensure Boogie is transferred to Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, while also urging stronger animal welfare legislation in Ontario. Ontario’s zoo laws are the weakest in the country—zoos don’t even require a license.
Animal Justice hopes swift action will be taken to relocate Boogie and improve the lives of other animals trapped in similar circumstances.
