Wild Boar Management and Snare Welfare

Wire snares used to capture wild boar and other wildlife cause prolonged suffering and high rates of non-target capture, making them one of the least humane control methods in use.

Key Facts

Snares are estimated to catch non-target animals in 30 to 80% of deployments in various studies
An animal caught in a snare may struggle for hours to days before dying or being found
Self-locking snares, now banned in many European countries, tighten under tension and cause strangulation
Scotland banned self-locking snares in 2020 and requires registration of all snare users
Foot-hold traps modified with padded jaws reduce injury but do not eliminate capture stress

Welfare Considerations

Snare capture causes acute and prolonged suffering. Animals caught around the body or neck experience sustained pain from tissue compression, struggle injuries, and exhaustion. Prey species experience extreme fear responses throughout the entrapment period. Non-target animals — including domestic dogs, deer, foxes, and badgers — are regularly caught and injured or killed. The welfare case against snares is strong, and transitioning to non-lethal exclusion or target-specific trapping methods eliminates these harms entirely.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for complete snare bans in your jurisdiction
Report illegally set snares to wildlife enforcement authorities
Advocate for mandatory check intervals and non-target release requirements where snares remain legal
Support wildlife management approaches using exclusion and habitat modification over lethal trapping