The welfare problems caused by wire snares used in pest control and poaching, and the case for more humane alternatives.
Wire snares cause multiple forms of suffering: constriction injuries from the wire, exhaustion and injury from struggling to escape, thermal stress during prolonged trap visits, and psychological distress from restraint. Non-target species are particularly vulnerable because snares are often set without species-specific mechanisms. Even legally compliant free-running snares cause significant welfare problems in extended trap-checks. The availability of more selective alternatives including cage traps and dispatch tools means that wire snares are difficult to justify on welfare grounds for most applications.