Although I realize that the subject of trapping might be a polarizing issue, I feel compelled to share with you some information on trapping. We’re not talking about trapping of nuisance wildlife – perhaps I’ll save that topic for another time. We’re talking about trapping of furbearing animals.
Traps may be set illegally or legally. In the event that traps are illegally set, it is Flint Creek Wildlife’s responsibility not only to treat the injured animal, but also to report such illegal activity to the Conservation Police within the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. In the case of a legally set trap, there isn’t much that we can do….
The animals that enter our doors as a result of trapping injuries present about the most horrific situations we ever encounter. If you doubt my words, go back and read my November 23, 2007 blog entry “The Perception of Pain”.
Some animals caught in traps survive, like the Beaver pictured below that we removed from a snare trap, while others like the Coyote mentioned above that was caught in a land-installed double conibear trap do not. Whether they survive or not, it is my opinion that each of them experiences fear and pain unparalleled to what we see from other injuries including those that are hit by car, shot, poisoned and run over by lawnmowers.
So in a struggle against time, we work on an animal that is already scared beyond belief and try to save the life that someone else tried to take away. It is simply beyond my comprehension.
Dawn
