Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Fwd: BFP Letter: Traps pose indiscriminate threat to animals (Stand Together or Hang Separately)

Did you really think the antis would limit themselves to banning/regulating guns out of existence?  Attacks are on all fronts.
Lately there has been an increase in anti hunting/trapping Op-eds and LTE's in the Vermont papers. Here is a BFP Letter:

 
Traps pose indiscriminate threat to animals
 
Official trapping season is upon us in Vermont so it's important for Vermonters to be aware of the indiscriminate nature of traps and their inherent danger to dogs, cats, endangered and even federally protected species such as eagles.
 
The national organization Born Free USA estimates that 300,000 times a year, non-targeted animals are captured in traps throughout the United States.
 
Traps and snares, which are currently illegal in Vermont, cannot differentiate between a cherished family pet or a raccoon or an endangered lynx or a bobcat.
 
The lynx is an endangered species in Vermont and I find it appalling that trapping offers us no guarantees that one won't end up either injured or killed by a trap set for another animal. Even more worrisome, at least two Vermont dogs were killed over the past year at the hands of these body gripping traps.
 
Animals captured in traps can suffer dehydration, physical trauma, predation by other animals among the horrors. The state of Vermont requires trappers check their traps every 24 hours, but that is a very difficult regulation to enforce and therefore animals may suffer even longer periods of time.
While we can't protect our wildlife from these traps, we can do our best to keep our pets safe by keeping cats indoors and dogs leashed.
 
JACKIE TAUBERMAN
Burlington