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• Last month, an online campaign funded the erection of a statue in Oslo in Freya’s honour.
• But while some wild animal culls go viral, a great many more urban wildlife deaths go unnoticed and unchallenged.
• To understand what determines the diverse reactions to animal culls, I interviewed and observed municipal cullers in Sweden.

What and where to cull?

• They also stated that “the cuter the critters, the bigger the villains we are, and vice versa”.
• In one instance, cullers were rewarded with cake after removing wild boar from an area where they were recently introduced.
• If large birds are perceived as causing disturbances to both people and recreational activities, they are often culled without much consideration.
• But, as the swan was seen as a prominent feature of the city, the culler received death threats.

When, how and who?

• One culler noted receiving “a lot less yelling at me and fewer questions when you’re out at night and early mornings”.
• Certain culls – particularly those involving brute force or the deaths of other animals – violate public standards.
• During our interviews, cullers emphasised the importance of being locally recognised, with good people management skills to defuse conflicts.

What’s the reason?

• The mere presence of wild boars in urban areas of Sweden still triggers culls, regardless of what they are doing.
• As cities continue to encroach on animals’ habitats, human interaction with wild animals will become increasingly common.
• What’s clear, though, is that the situation calls for the development of a wildlife etiquette within the general public.
• This involves understanding how to behave in a manner that prevents the emergence of problematic wild animals in the first place.

• The majority of these complaints are investigated by Members of the RCMP which creates a significant burden on already strained resources, particularly in smaller detachments.
• Many jurisdictions across Canada have external oversight bodies or civilian review boards that provide independent oversight of police, helping to ensure impartiality, transparency, and public confidence in the process.
• A fully independent, well-resourced, comprehensive complaints process and investigative body would support Canadians' best interest and current practices across other jurisdictions, where each Province is served by their own form of independent public complaints commission.
• A copy of our full submission to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security is available here: NPF Bill C-20 Submission

• The Mexican government has said the migrants themselves started the fire after learning they would be deported from Mexico – which is increasingly a destination for migrants and asylum seekers – back to their home countries.
• The video spread quickly across social media, and many Mexican migrant advocacy groups and activists decried the event.
• Another group also paid close attention to this tragedy – migrants who are in transit through Mexico.
• As a sociologist, I have studied the impacts of violence against Central American migrants in Mexico for nearly a decade.

Understanding migrants in Mexico

• Hundreds of thousands of migrants from around the world transit through Mexico every year on their way to the U.S.-Mexico border.
• That statistic coincides with an overall rise in global migration and rise in migrants trying to reach the U.S.
• The majority of migrants crossing the U.S. border come from Latin American countries other than Mexico, including Central American countries, but also Peru, Colombia, Venezuela and Cuba.
• My interviews with migrants moving through Mexico show that they tend to widely circulate tragic news, such as news of the June 2022 news of migrants found dead locked in a tractor trailer in San Antonio.

How migrants get their news

• Migrants don’t receive news from New York Times alerts or nightly news.
• Their information-sharing largely occurs in an underground informal information exchange that circulates news and stories among migrants heading toward the U.S. through Mexico.
• That information is shared, discussed, interpreted and commented on through social media platforms, chat groups and word of mouth.

A shared response

• Through my field work, I have heard migrants repeatedly tell stories about the dire conditions in detention centers in Mexico.
• They report that these poor conditions – rotten food, fleas, lack of clothing or blankets for the cold weather – have triggered hunger strikes and protests.

Broader effects

• For example, my research suggests that stories and images of violence like the Ciudad Juárez tragedy will generate a further lack of trust in the Mexican government.
• If they can, I think that migrants will likely avoid Ciudad Juárez and other areas where they feel they may be detained.

• SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Families of victims killed in impaired driving crashes will be joined by the Honourable Don Morgan and representatives from police and fire services for a special ceremony of remembrance at MADD Canada’s Saskatchewan Memorial Monument this Saturday.
• The Monument, located on the grounds of Saskatoon City Hall, is etched with the names of 67 people, including 8 new names added this year.
• Media are invited to attend the ceremony of remembrance and the unveiling of new names on the monument.
• Saskatchewan RCMP Superintendent Grant St. Germaine
  “Our Monument ceremony and candlelight vigil honour the memories of those killed in impaired driving crashes and acknowledge the loss and grief suffered by their families,” said MADD Canada Western Region Victim Services Manager Gillian Phillips.