October 7,2016 – Wisconsin The evidence is endless of the cruel indiscriminate suffering that trapping inflicts.
Besides the animals, guess who pays for this? Certainly not the trappers.
Pardon the somewhat graphic photo, but one of our awesome wildlife rescue volunteers captured this Canada goose with a steel jaw trap on its foot! Part of the goose’s foot was crushed by the trap and he’ll need surgery to amputate part of the middle toe, which has an open fracture (bone sticking out of the skin).
For the greatest country in the world we certainly are primitive in preserving this barbaric tradition, a relic of the past. Wildlife is far more valuable alive to many than trapped for a few. Wake up America. This certainly isn’t the will of the people.
“He and his employees captured bobcats and mountain lions in leg traps or cages, then hobbled them in some fashion — usually by shooting them in the foot or the stomach.” The driving force of trapping………. selfish, lazy, greed. Follow the money, friends.
Wildlife Services is still killing plenty of animals in Montana.
“Steuber said coyotes cause the most livestock damage of any predator, by far. His agency claims that in 2015, coyotes killed almost 1,500 lambs, 212 calves and 240 chickens in Montana. So in 2015, Wildlife Services employees killed 6,600 coyotes, shooting about half of those using helicopters. They also shot black bears and mountain lions believed to have been involved in livestock damage.”
Over 52,000 coyotes were voluntarily reported killed by individuals in Montana by shooting and trapping in the last 3 recorded years.
“Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks pays Wildlife Services $110,000 a year to deal with problem wolves. In 2015, WS killed 31 wolves, but that was fewer than in previous years, Steuber said.”
A minimum of another 210 wolves were shot or trapped by laymen during the 2015/2016 season.
“The number of sheep in Montana has dropped by half since 1997.”
For 2016, Montana is home to 2,550,000 cattle.
At the end of 2015, Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported that 44 cattle had been killed by wolves in Montana,
While losses to predators were almost 1/3 of what they were in 2009 , i.e. 133 in 2015 vs 370 in 2009, the Montana Livestock Loss Board paid out the highest reimbursements amounting to $146,745 in 2015 to compensate for their increased value.
Trapper finds a dead moose in one of his snares. His intended victims were coyotes. His response? “Shit happens”.
He says he can’t wait to get back and try to trap and kill more coyotes, hoping to avoid snaring any more moose. He believes these coyotes will be fattened up from feeding on the moose the wildlife officials told him to leave serving as more bait for coyotes.
Most of Montana, i.e central and eastern, districts 4-7, opened for the legal trapping of beaver on September 1. For 9 months, beaver can be trapped in unlimited numbers with the closure being May 31.
No one knows how many of these critically necessary keystone species there are in Montana. No one knows how many are trapped and killed annually either. Trappers are not required to report. The small percentage that voluntarily report state they themselves trap and kill in Montana over 6,000 beaver on average, annually. The cost to a Montana resident is just $29 for the purchase of a trapping license and they can trap and kill as many beaver as their little heart desires.
Beware trappers often use large body crushing conibear traps along the water to trap beaver. These are unmarked and a death sentence to your dog as well.
Conibear traps, 7″x7″ and larger, need to be set recessed 7 inches in a cubby or enclosure with an opening of 52 square inches or less. This does not apply if they are submerged 1/3 or more in water.
The legal trapping of beaver opens in the rest of the state, western and southwestern Montana, districts 1-3, on Nov 1 and closes April 17.
This is what TRAPPING DOES: No matter the bait No matter the lure No matter the size of the body gripping trap No matter the pan tension for the trap to fire No matter how far from a trail No matter the excuse No matter if legal or not! Trapping inflicts indiscriminate pain and suffering to all creatures, and legally for days, even weeks, year round in Montana, until the trapper decides to return and beat them to death, strangle, drown, shoot, stand on them, turn their dogs loose on them or “release it unharmed”! This trapped magpie was found on our public lands in the beautiful and popular Bitterroot mountains. What else would have been caught? What creature deserves this suffering?
Only 5 out of 16 legally trapped species need to be reported in Montana. Only 4 have a quota. MTFWP harvest reports are based predominantly on licensed trappers voluntary reporting. Less then 1% of Montanans buy a $29 trapping license. Only 1/3 of licensed trappers return the voluntary reporting survey. 66,919 reported destroyed by trapping in Montana in 2012, alone!
