Snares cause “unimaginable pain” and should be banned, says Animal Aid
Wire noose traps, or snares, are responsible for causing “unimaginable pain and distress” not just to their intended targets such as foxes and rabbits, but to badgers and other wildlife too. Even companion animals such as cats and dogs regularly fall victim to these cruel devices, according to Animal Aid’s latest ‘Ban Snares’ campaign.
Despite a majority of MPs voting to ban snares in 2016, the UK Government sidestepped the issue by releasing a voluntary ‘Code of Practice’ aimed at ensuring adequate welfare measures. However, drawing upon the work of the Hunt Investigation Team (HIT) in gathering together numerous reports of breaches of the Code, plus the Government’s own figures, Animal Aid has shown without question that the use of snares is impossible to regulate.
“Defra’s own figures stated, in 2012 that almost 70% of animals caught in snares were non-target. This could, and has, included badgers, pet dogs, pet cats, sheep and lambs,” stated Animal Aid. “The only solution to the inhumanity of snares is to ban them.”
The Government’s ‘Code of Practice’ concerning snares calls for certain standards to be met, including not setting snares under or near hedges, anywhere farm animals could be caught, near a badger sett, or in such a way as to cause entanglement, strangulation or drowning. Sadly, as the following Animal Aid video shows, the Code is clearly inadequate:
The Code also recommends that snares be checked daily, but according to Animal Aid, they are often left for many days meaning that trapped animals suffer and die from thirst, hunger, exposure to the elements or predation. Lactating mothers kept from their babies would result in further misery as young animals starve to death.
The Government’s advice presumes trapped animals stay motionless once trapped and do not struggle against the wires holding them. But animals have been known to chew their own limbs off in an attempt to escape.
With the Government having recently announced that animal sentience is to be officially recognised in UK law as part of a raft of new animal welfare legislation, now is to the time to look once again at snares. Other forms of ‘pest management’ such as illegal hare coursing and glue traps will be restricted, while farmers will be awarded financial incentives to improve conditions for mother pigs in farrowing crates. However, no plans to ban snares have been announced, contradicting Westminster’s apparent stance on animal sentience by ignoring the suffering and distress caused by wire noose traps.
Animal Aid’s campaigns team will be discussing the issues surrounding the #BanSnares campaign in an upcoming guest article for Surge. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest news.
Andrew Gough is Media and Investigations Manager for Surge.
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