Wire snares used in wildlife management and pest control in the UK cause significant animal suffering through indiscriminate capture of target and non-target species, and face increasing calls for abolition.
Snared animals experience acute fear, physical injury, and can die slowly from strangulation, exposure, or predation while trapped. Animals may remain in snares for 24 hours or more before checking, causing prolonged suffering. Non-target species including badgers and hares are legally protected but caught and injured by snares set for legal quarry. The indiscriminate nature of snaring - it cannot distinguish between target and protected species - creates inherent welfare problems that targeted trapping methods avoid. Alternative pest control methods exist for most applications.