Snares used for rabbit and fox control in the UK cause indiscriminate capture and significant suffering to both target and non-target species including badgers, deer, and domestic cats.
Snares cause welfare harm both through the trauma of capture and the prolonged distress of restraint. An animal caught in a snare experiences the initial shock of capture, then sustained fear and physical discomfort as it struggles against constriction that may tighten or cut into tissue over hours. Non-target species — including protected badgers and domestic pets — have no avenue for escape and may die from injury, hypothermia, or stress before the mandatory daily check. The indiscriminate nature of snares, which cannot distinguish target from non-target species, represents a fundamental welfare problem that more targeted control methods do not share.