Leghold_Traps

LegHold Traps

    Over 500,000 hunters spent over $700 million in 2008 in New York State, so hunters are key contributors to New York's tourist revenue, helping many of us in the North Country. In season, the vacation rental business we run, caters to hunters and fisherman, with many returning for the same dates each year. In addition, it is often hunters and fishermen who alert us and other rehabbers to injured or disabled wildlife, and when it comes to preserving the wild, whether in the Adirondacks or elsewhere, we have no closer allies.

    However, we will never understand why New York continues to permit the use of leghold traps for wildlife. They banned the use of snares, toothed leghold traps, and leghold traps broader than 7 and 1/4 inches, but this does not really address the two main problems with the non-toothed clamp traps which are still legal in New York.

    The first problem is that any wildlife so trapped is going to suffer unimaginable agony, and in many documented cases, the animal will chew off its own leg to effect its escape. These traps do not legally need to be checked by the trapper more than once every 24 to 48 hours, depending on which region the trap is set in, which means the captive animal not only may suffer for long periods, but runs the additional risk of drawing in predators attracted by the noise of the creature's struggles, and who will naturally take advantage of the creature's inability to flee. Some folks say that's nature. We call it interference.

    The second problem is that untargeted animals will be caught in the traps, as the photos on this page attest. Sometimes the victims are pet dogs and cats. Twice already this Fall, we have picked up birds-of-prey who have been caught in these traps. In both cases, the trapper conscientiously reported the accident, which is how the NY DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) and NCWC (North Country Wildcare), a network of rehabbers we belong to, became involved through the NCWC hot line (518-964-6740). The first was a large female red-tailed hawk, who lost one of her legs in a trap up near Brushton, and the second was the bald eagle, both of which are pictured here. The third is a barred owl, who apparently flew around with the trap on its leg, before expiring.

    The eagle was strong enough to loosen the trap's chain, and flew away with the trap still fastened to its talon, before getting the chain entangled with the branch of a white pine in Moffitt Beach Campground on Lake Sacandaga, which left the eagle dangling from the branch. This is where the trapper located the eagle, before calling the ranger.

    Of course, the best way to reduce trapping, is to refuse to buy coats and garments which use real fur. Many folks believe that the existence of fur farms, where fox, mink and other fur bearers are raised for the purpose of supplying raw material for fur garments, relieves them of the inconvenience of worrying about the suffering of other creatures. Imagine an entire industry whose modus operandi is based on cruelty. Trappers argue that the creatures they trap, in contrast to farm raised animals, get to live in the wild, before they are harvested, but the fact of their suffering and the suffering of non-target animals remains, and the comparison offered represents a choice between two terrible fates. And they are correct that the animals raised on fur farms spend their lives in tightly confined quarters, until they are finally "harvested" by electrocution or lethal injection.

    20% of the animals utilized in the fur trade come from animals trapped in the wild, and ironically, the untargeted species, or so-called "trash species", often end up being used in the manufactured furs anyway. So your "mink" coat may include some coon and possum. In addition, all this happens in a market where synthetic furs look more attractive, keep you warmer, and are less expensive. What does it say about our character, if the key to our preference for real fur, is simply that its raw material was once living? More importantly, synthetic furs allow you to celebrate and display wildlife, without actually harming any creatures, just as hunting with your camera spares the "trophy" for others to enjoy.

    If you must trap animals, or if you use the resulting pelts to make outer garments for yourself or your family, please consider the use of HavaHart traps, which trap the animal inside a cage, without harming it. The obvious advantage is that any unwanted species are more likely to be deterred from approaching the trap, and if captured, can quickly be sprung. In addition, the terrified creature is safe from attack by predators, and its suffering is minimized. The disadvantage to the trapper is the increased cost of the traps, and the fact that the HavaHarts are not quite as reliable in capturing the animal as the legholds are. But, if you agree to let your heart, rather than just your wallet, determine the most humane means of capturing these creatures, we hope you'll go with the HavaHart.

Steve Hall