How to Help Stop Inhumane Animal Trapping

By eHow Culture & Society Editor

Rate: (5 Ratings)

Trapping animals with steel-jawed led-hold traps is inhumane and cruel. Animal welfare organizations are working to end this barbaric custom. Follow the steps below to learn how you can help stop needless suffering by animals ensnared in these antiquated, indiscriminate devices.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1
Educate yourself about the inhumane and cruel nature of this barbaric custom. Visit www.bancrueltraps.org for information on traps and poisons used to capture and kill animals for their fur and for predator control.
Step2
Participate in setting government policy, joining thousands of your fellow citizens, by contacting your state and federal legislative delegate. Request she support legislation that ends funding for this inhumane practice on public and private lands.
Step3
Contact your veterinarian. Urge her to request that veterinary associations support efforts to stop trapping, ending needless suffering by countless numbers of wild animals and pets, and that alternitive methods of predator control be used.
Step4
Spread the word. Tell your friends what you have learned, and urge them to join you and other concerned people that support efforts to end trapping.
Step5
Contact ProPAW (Protect Pets and Wildlife), e-mail Crueltraps@aol.com, and ask how you can assist as they work to place legislation on the November 2000 ballots in Oregon and Washington restricting use of cruel traps and poisons.
Step6
Contribute your time and money to help end the use of cruel traps and dangerous poisons.
Step7
Join the Humane Society of The United States, American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Doris Day Animal League, The Fund For Animals, The International Fund for Animal Wefare or other such organizations and support this worthwhile cause.

Tips & Warnings

  • 89 countries, the European Union and four states in the US have banned or restricted the use of steel-jawed leg-hold traps.
  • The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association have position statements that declare leg-hold traps to be inhumane and cruel.

Comments

| View All Comments
Flag This Comment

on 2/6/2008 I trap and leg-traps are not inhumane! I have caught my dogs a number of times and as soon as I let them go they run off and are obsolutley fine!! The inhumane thing is letting these "poor animals" starve to death because there are too many animals and not enough food instead of getting it over quick!! Think about it people these animals are much more likely to be eaten than get caught in a trap! I am sure that being eating alive hurts worse!!

traplife

traplife said

Flag This Comment

on 3/2/2007 sorry for that last comment
In response to jjfletch's argument, that dog and toddler weren't supposed to be near the trap. Where was the dog's owner or the toddler's parents. That bodes especially true for being on private land. Bottomline, either use a leash for the dog or watch your kids more carefully.

traplife

traplife said

Flag This Comment

on 3/2/2007 asdfasd

jjfletch

jjfletch said

Flag This Comment

on 12/18/2006 Whoever thinks that trapping, especially the leg trap, is an effective tool for wildlife population control, is obviously not serious about the subject. Leg traps were invented in order to incapacitate an animal so that they would remain either alive or their pelt remain without flaws caused by bullet holes. They were effectively used by pelt traders. However, the fact that there are other ways to more humanely trap animals, makes these archaic trapping methods-clearly inhumane because of the suffering inflicted upon the animal-profoundly disturbing to anyone who has seen what these traps can do. Not only do they indiscriminately trap anything or anyone-from a labrador retriever to a toddler (I have seen the grim results of both), but they are not in any way effective for targeting specific wildlife population. Anyone who proclaims these devices to be effective for wildlife management, or humane, must not really care about the subject enough to do their research. Please do not take their word for it. Do your own research before you decide!

Anonymous

Anonymous said

Flag This Comment

on 11/22/2005 Animal worship is not an effective wildlife management tool. Imposing fear through misinformation only generates so called non-profit funds, turning the emotions of well meaning people into cash cow generating machines. In a perfect world I'm sure it would be nice to let all animals run wild and rampant, but we all know that is not possible in this day and age, or responsible either. I can't ever recall anyone involved in wildlife, whether it be animal damage control or trapping, thinking for one moment that animal suffering or intentional cruelty is funny. So in closing, wildlife management isn't always comfortable, but it is necessary to maintain healthy thriving populations. If we don't take on this responsibility, Mother Nature will, and it's not a pretty sight. Death by starvation and disease isn't cute, cuddly, or useful.

View All

Post a Comment

POST A COMMENT

Request a New How-To Article

Looking for more How To information? Chances are there’s an eHow member who knows how to do what you’re looking to do. Submit an article request now!

eHow Article: How to Help Stop Inhumane Animal Trapping

eHow Culture & Society Editor

Related Ads