Snares and Traps: Wildlife Welfare Impacts

Snares and traps used for pest control and fur trapping cause significant suffering, with reform movements pushing for bans or welfare-certified alternatives.

Key Facts

Wire snares are legal for fox and rabbit control in England and Wales but banned in Scotland
Snares trap non-target species including badgers, deer, and domestic pets
Leg-hold traps are banned in the EU but still widely used in North America and fur trade countries
Certified kill traps that cause rapid death are available and increasingly required in regulated hunting

Welfare Considerations

Snares and conventional leg-hold traps cause prolonged suffering as trapped animals struggle against restraint, injure themselves, and may remain trapped for many hours before being checked or killed. Non-target captures add welfare harm beyond the intended species. Welfare-certified kill traps, when correctly set and regularly checked, can achieve pest control objectives with dramatically reduced suffering. Progressive trapping regulations require trap certification, regular checking intervals, and non-target exclusion mechanisms.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns to ban snares and uncertified traps in your country
Advocate for mandatory kill-trap certification requirements in pest control regulation
Report illegally set or unchecked traps to wildlife authorities
Support organisations monitoring and documenting trap welfare impacts