Snare trap tortures coyote in Pickering
A snare trap that captured a coyote by his neck and tongue on Monday is leading a national wildlife protection group to call for an immediate ban on the use of body-gripping traps in the City of Pickering and the rest of Durham Region.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that this practice is still legal in Ontario,” said Shannon Kornelsen, Director of Public Outreach for the Association of the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals in Ontario (APFA). “Everyone who finds out about how these cruel traps work opposes them. Except trappers, who have done everything in their power to prevent municipalities from siding with public opinion.”
A snare trap is essentially a wire noose placed in the pathway of an animal, often baited with food. Once tripped, the snare tightens as the animal tries to free him or herself, resulting in death by slow strangulation. APFA has hours of video footage and still photography of the excruciating pain animals must endure in these traps.
According to witnesses, the coyote was found near a popular area used by families and their pets, clearly experiencing pain and trauma from the snare trap caught around his neck and tongue. The coyote was seen struggling for several hours before first responders from a Toronto animal rescue were able to rescue him. The snare, indiscriminate by design, appears to have been set dangerously close to a high traffic area.
“The time for action is long overdue,” Kornelsen said. “The incredible pain and terror this animal felt is not deserved by any creature. We are outraged each time a trap catches our dogs, and we should be no less disturbed when it happens to their wild counterparts.”
APFA has recorded countless incidents over the past decade where similar body-gripping or leg-hold traps have caught and grievously injured or killed endangered species, domestic animals and even people.
“We are calling on the City of Pickering and Durham Region to immediately ban these cruel traps before another animal gets caught and tortured,” added Kornelsen.
APFA is also calling for an immediate inquiry, as the use of suspended snares on land (suspected in this case) is contrary to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (1997) in the Region of Durham. APFA is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to a conviction of the involved person(s).
