Ethics, parks and wildlife law in Canada

Nature photography depends on the health of the places and creatures it portrays, and photographers can harm them. Approaching too closely, baiting animals, disturbing nests, flying drones over wildlife, trampling fragile ground and broadcasting the location of rare species all cause real damage. Laws set minimum standards, and ethical codes set higher ones. This lesson covers the principles of ethical field practice, the specific problems of baiting, calls, nests, drones and location sharing, and the laws and park rules that apply.

The guiding principle

Most ethical codes for nature photography come down to one idea: the welfare of the subject and its environment comes before the photograph. Organizations such as the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), the National Audubon Society, Birds Canada and many camera clubs and competitions publish guidelines built on this idea. Their common points include:

• Learn about your subject so you can recognize stress and avoid disturbance.
• Keep a respectful distance; if an animal changes its behaviour, you are too close.
• Do not feed, bait or lure wildlife in ways that harm it or break the law.
• Never disturb nests, dens or young, and be especially careful during breeding seasons.
• Stay on trails and avoid trampling vegetation, especially in fragile habitats such as alpine meadows, wetlands and dunes.
• Respect other visitors, private property and Indigenous lands and sites.
• Be honest about how images were made, including captive or controlled subjects.
• Share location information responsibly.

Ethics also cover the way photographers treat each other and the public: not crowding other visitors, not blocking roads or trails, and setting a good example, because people copy what they see photographers doing.

Distance and disturbance

Disturbance has costs that may not be visible. An animal that flees uses energy it needs to survive winter or raise young; a bird flushed from its nest leaves eggs exposed to cold and predators; repeated disturbance can drive animals from good habitat. In winter, when food is scarce and moving through snow is costly, even short flights can matter for deer, elk and birds. Large animals also threaten people who get too close: elk, moose and bison injure more visitors in some parks than bears do.

Parks Canada advises visitors to stay at least 100 m, about ten bus lengths, from bears, wolves, cougars and coyotes, and at least 30 m, about three bus lengths, from elk, deer, moose, sheep and goats. It is illegal to feed, entice or disturb wildlife in a national park, and offenders can face court appearances and fines of up to $25,000. Some parks close areas seasonally to protect wildlife, such as during calving or the elk rut, and some require visitors to stay in vehicles near certain animals.

Baiting, luring and calls

Baiting means using food or other attractants to bring wildlife into position. Some forms are widely accepted, such as ordinary backyard bird feeders kept clean and stocked consistently. Others are harmful or illegal: throwing pet-store mice to owls so they swoop toward the camera, a practice that teaches owls to approach people and roads; putting out meat for foxes or bears; or scattering seed in parks. Feeding wildlife in national parks is illegal in both Canada and the United States, and many provinces and states restrict feeding dangerous wildlife or big game.

Calls and playback, broadcasting recorded songs or calls to attract birds, can stress territorial birds, distract them from feeding young and draw them away from nests. Many guidelines advise using playback sparingly or not at all, never during the breeding season, and never for rare or endangered species; some parks and refuges prohibit it.

Images made with bait or calls should be disclosed in competitions and editorial contexts, because viewers assume wild behaviour is natural. Many competitions ban baited images of predators entirely.

Nests, dens and young

Nest photography was once common in bird photography; today most ethical guidelines discourage it, and many competitions refuse nest images unless they were taken under licence or from a safe distance with no disturbance. Approaching a nest can expose eggs and chicks to cold, heat and predators, which may follow human scent or trails to the nest. Removing leaves or branches to get a clear view of a nest, called gardening, removes the cover that protects it. Similar concerns apply to dens of foxes, wolves and bears, and to seal pups or fawns left alone by their mothers, which are not abandoned and should be left alone.

Drones

Drones can disturb wildlife severely: birds may attack them or abandon nests, and mammals may flee. They also disturb other visitors and can start wildfires if they crash.

Recreational drone flying is prohibited in all Parks Canada places, including national parks, national historic sites and marine conservation areas, and flying without a permit can bring fines of up to $25,000. Commercial drone use needs a Restricted Activity Permit from the park superintendent, issued only for limited purposes such as resource management, public safety and park administration. Outside national parks, Transport Canada's drone rules under Part IX of the Canadian Aviation Regulations apply, including pilot certificates and distances from people; provincial parks often have their own restrictions, and some wildlife reserves prohibit drones entirely.

Location sharing and social media

Posting exact locations of sensitive subjects can bring crowds that trample habitat, disturb wildlife and attract poachers or collectors. Rare orchids, owl roosts, nesting raptors, dens and fragile geological features are especially vulnerable. Many photographers now avoid geotagging sensitive images, describe locations only generally, and share details privately only with people they trust. Some land managers ask photographers not to identify certain sites. The same caution applies to iconic viewpoints that have become overcrowded: sharing them responsibly, with information on rules and Leave No Trace principles, helps protect them.

Social media also spreads images of risky or harmful behaviour, such as people approaching bison for selfies. Photographers can counter this by modelling good behaviour and explaining how their images were made.

Wildlife and species-at-risk law

Several federal laws protect wildlife in Canada. The Species at Risk Act prohibits killing, harming, harassing, capturing or taking individuals of listed endangered, threatened and extirpated species, and damaging their residences, such as nests and dens, on federal lands and for some species everywhere. The Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 and the Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022 protect most migratory birds, their eggs and, for some species, their nests; disturbing or destroying nests can be an offence. The Canada National Parks Act and its regulations protect all wildlife in national parks. Each province and territory also has wildlife legislation, such as Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act or British Columbia's Wildlife Act, covering harassment, feeding of dangerous wildlife and protection of nests and dens; check the rules where you photograph.

Permits for photography in parks

Personal photography in national parks generally needs no special permit beyond park entry, but commercial filming and photography often does. Parks Canada requires permits for commercial film and photo shoots, particularly those involving crews, equipment, sets, models, closures or sensitive areas, and the mountain national parks publish specific commercial filming guidelines. Permits may set conditions on locations, times, group size and wildlife. Provincial parks have their own permit systems. Running photography workshops or guided tours in parks typically requires a business licence or commercial operator permit from the park.

Indigenous lands and cultural sites

Many landscapes in Canada and the United States are on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples, some are reserve or reservation lands with their own rules, and some contain sacred or culturally significant sites. Respectful practice includes learning whose land you are on, following local rules on access and photography, asking permission before photographing people, ceremonies or sacred sites, and avoiding commercial use of culturally significant places without consent. Some Indigenous nations require permits for photography or filming on their lands; others share guidelines for visitors. Co-managed parks, such as several in northern Canada and some tribal parks in the United States, may combine government and Indigenous rules.

Leave No Trace

The seven Leave No Trace principles, used across North America, apply directly to photographers: plan ahead and prepare; travel and camp on durable surfaces; dispose of waste properly; leave what you find; minimize campfire impacts; respect wildlife; and be considerate of other visitors. For photographers, the most relevant are staying on durable surfaces, especially at viewpoints where photographers have worn new trails, leaving rocks, plants and artifacts in place, and respecting wildlife.

When you see others breaking the rules

Photographers often encounter people approaching wildlife too closely, feeding animals or flying drones where they are prohibited. Confronting strangers can escalate, so personal safety comes first. A calm, friendly comment about the rules, or about the danger to the animal, often works. If it does not, note the time, place and details and report the behaviour to park staff or wildlife officers, who have the authority to act. Avoid sharing images of other people's poor behaviour in ways that could identify them online; reporting to authorities is usually more effective and fairer.

Ethics beyond the law

Laws set minimums and cannot cover every situation. A behaviour may be legal and still harm wildlife, such as repeatedly visiting a popular owl roost or crowding a moose in a pond. Ethical photographers ask whether their presence adds cumulative pressure, especially at sites many others visit, and sometimes choose to stay away altogether.