Snare trapping used in predator control causes indiscriminate suffering to target and non-target species, with free-running snares legal in England and Wales despite significant animal welfare concerns.
Snare trapping causes severe welfare harm through multiple mechanisms. Animals caught in snares experience fear, pain from entanglement, stress from prolonged restraint and injuries from struggling. Snares are inherently indiscriminate — they cannot distinguish target from non-target species. Even target animals like foxes suffer significantly during the time between entrapment and the mandatory check. The welfare case against snaring is robust: no animal welfare justification exists for a method that causes this level of suffering when alternative predator deterrence methods are available. Wales has led the UK by banning snares, with Scotland having tighter controls than England.