Snares used to catch foxes, rabbits, and other animals cause significant welfare harm through indiscriminate capture, suffering, and frequent capture of non-target species.
Snaring causes welfare harm at scale that is difficult to justify given available alternatives. Animals caught in snares experience terror, pain, and prolonged distress before discovery - minimum required check intervals of 24 hours mean animals can suffer for an entire day before being found. Non-target captures - including protected species - cause welfare harm with no management purpose. The argument that snares are necessary for gamebird management is contested by evidence that cage traps and shooting can achieve similar predator control outcomes with dramatically lower welfare cost. Scotland's 2024 ban demonstrates that wildlife management can function without snares.