Traps
Steel-Jaw Leghold Traps
An archaic device used for centuries, the
steel-jaw leghold trap is the most commonly
used trap in the U.S. by commercial and recreational
fur trappers today. Triggered by a pan-tension device,
the weight of an animal stepping between the jaws of the trap causes the jaws to slam shut on the victim's leg, or other body part, in a vice-like grip. Most animals react to the instant pain by frantically pulling against the trap in a desperate attempt to free themselves, enduring fractures, ripped tendons, edema, blood loss, amputations, tooth and mouth damage (from chewing and biting at the trap), and starvation. Some animals will even chew or twist their limbs off, so common that trappers have termed this occurrence as "wring-off," which for them means the loss of a marketable pelt. To the animal left crippled on three legs, "wring-off" means certain death from starvation, gangrene, or attack from other predators.
On land, leghold traps are most frequently set for coyote, bobcat, fox, raccoon, skunk and other furbearing animals. However, leghold traps are inherently indiscriminate and will trap any unsuspecting animal that steps foot into the trap jaws, including companion animals, threatened and endangered species, and even humans. Trappers admit that for every "target" animal trapped, at least two other "non-target" animals, including dogs and cats, are trapped.
Aquatic leghold traps are most often set for muskrat, otter, mink, and beaver. Most animals trapped in water will either try to surface to gasp for air or will drag the trap under water in an attempt to reach land. Usually they die a slow, agonizing death by drowning, which can take up to 20 minutes for some species. Death by drowning has been deemed inhumane by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
More than 80 countries have banned leghold traps and 6 states have either banned or restricted them. More than 20 states still allow the use of teeth on leghold traps. An estimated 80% of the total number of trapped animals in the U.S. are taken by steel-jaw leghold traps, followed by wire snares and Conibear traps.
In November 1995, the European Union banned the use of leghold traps in all 15-member nations.
Many veterinary associations, including the World Veterinary Association and the American Animal Hospital Association have policy statements opposing the use of leghold traps. In 1993, the Executive Board of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) declared, "The AVMA considers the steel-jaw leghold trap to be inhumane."
A national poll conducted in November 1996 showed that 74% of Americans believe leghold traps should be banned.
"Padded" Leghold Traps
Trapping proponents argue that traps used today in the U.S. are humane, touting the "padded" leghold trap as a commonly used humane alternative to the steel jaw version. However, the only distinctive difference between the two traps is that the padded leghold trap has a thin strip of rubber attached to the trap jaws. Not only do these traps cause significant injuries to animals, but research indicates that fewer than 5% of trappers even own padded leghold traps in the U.S. ("Characteristics of Trappers and Trapping Participation in New York," Wildlife Society Bulletin, Volume 22 [1994]). Only California, Connecticut and Tennessee require that padded leghold traps be used, and this provision only applies to leghold traps set on land.
Numerous studies have shown that padded traps can cause severe injuries to their victims. In a 1995 study testing padded leghold traps on coyotes, 97% of all animals trapped experienced edematous swelling to their legs and 26% of the coyotes suffered from lacerations and fractures (R. L. Phillips, et al. "Leg Injuries to Coyotes in Three Types of Foothold Traps." Wildlife Society Bulletin, Volume 24 [1996], 260-263). In a similar study using red foxes, it was shown that of 55 red foxes trapped in padded leghold traps, 25 suffered edema, 23 suffered cutaneous lacerations, 17 suffered tooth fractures (from biting the traps), and 13 suffered severance of tendons, abrasions, maceration, or fractures. (D. K. Onderka, et al. "Evaluating Efficiency of Footholding Devices for Coyote Capture." Wildlife Society Bulletin, Volume 18 [1990], 166-175).
Even trappers have admitted that "padded" leghold traps cause severe injuries to animals:
"Padded traps should be an alternative available to trappers, but not required for animals such as raccoons which appear to suffer more injury when caught in padded traps." (The American Trapper, September/October 1995)
"We learned that these padded traps do not restrain the animal for very long, and in many cases they do as much damage to the animals as regular jawed traps." (The Trapper & Predator Caller, April 1994).
"I was deeply involved with Woodstream in the development of padded jaw traps. In my mind they are inferior to properly built steel footholds, but their appeal is that the public will accept a rubber jaw. It is an attempt to please the public, but I don't think that will happen." (Parker Dozhier in an interview in The Trapper & Predator Caller, April/May 1996).
Snare Traps
Snares are categorized as either body/neck or foot snares. Like leghold traps, they are a primitive device, simple in design and vicious in action. They are generally made of light wire cable looped through a locking device or of small nylon cord tied so that it will tighten as the animal pulls against it. The more a snared animal struggles, the tighter the noose becomes, the tighter the noose, the greater the animal's struggle and suffering. The body snare is used primarily on coyotes and is often set where animals crawl under a fence or some other narrow passageway. The body snare is designed to kill the animal by strangulation or crushing of vital organs. However, snares do not discriminate between victims and will capture any animal around any body part.
While some small animals are thought to become unconscious in about six minutes when neck snared, larger animals can suffer for days on end. Trappers even have a term -- "jellyhead" -- that refers to the thick, bloody lymph fluid which swells the heads and necks of neck-snared canids. Snares frequently have to be replaced after each capture due to twisting and strain on the snare cable that results from animals struggling to free themselves.
Set on land and in water, snares are considered even more indiscriminate than the leghold trap. Because they are cheap and easy to set, trappers will often saturate an area with dozens of snares to catch as many animals as possible. Called "saturation snaring," this practice is common in Alaska where trappers attempt to target entire wolf packs through this reprehensible practice.
Even the Federal Provincial Committee for Humane Trapping has deemed the snare to cause too many injuries to be considered a "quick killing device."
Conibear Traps
The Conibear trap, named after its inventor Frank Conibear, consists of two metal rectangles hinged together midway on the long side to open and close like scissors. One jaw has a trigger that can be baited. The opposite jaw has a catch or "dog" that holds the trap open. Originally intended to be an "instant killing" device, the Conibear trap is designed to snap shut in a scissor-like fashion on an animal's spinal column at the base of the skull. However, because it is impossible to control the size, species, and direction of the animal entering the trap, most animals do not die quickly in the Conibear trap, instead enduring prolonged suffering as the clamping force of the trap draws the jaws closer and closer together, crushing the animal's abdomen, head or other body part.
Domestic animals are frequent victims of this indiscriminate trap, especially the size 220 (7") Conibear. Numerous veterinary reports indicate that dogs and cats may be found dead or alive by their owners in these traps after suffering for days. However, because it is extremely difficult to open the trap jaws, most people are not able to free their companions in time.
Manufactured in three standard sizes, Conibear traps are frequently used in water sets to trap muskrat and beaver. In addition, they are used on land to trap raccoon, pine marten, opossum, and other furbearers. Numerous research studies have shown that this trap does not kill instantly. In one study, which evaluated Conibear efficacy, only 15% of the strikes might have been instant kills. Forty percent of the animals were held in positions that probably caused extreme pain. The study concluded that unless the animal is small or is struck on the skull or neck, this trap does not frequently kill instantly.
Even Tom Krause, former president of the National Trappers Association, and current editor of The American Trapper notes, "Traps of the standard Conibear design exhibit trigger aversion problems, and do not acceptably position sufficient numbers of animals for killing blows." (The American Trapper, January/February 1989).
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