Animal welfare charity releases footage exposing the gruesome reality of snaring

Warning: Graphic content

Scottish Parliament urged to use Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill to ban cruel traps

The League Against Cruel Sports Scotland has released footage exposing the grim reality of snaring. The footage shows a dead badger with a snare around its abdomen just a short distance from a stink pit full of rotting animal carcasses surrounded by thin wire snares.

The charity says the footage highlights the urgent need for a ban on snaring under the new Wildlife Management and Muriburn (Scotland) Bill which this week began its stage 1 evidence sessions. Although perfectly legal, the footage illustrates that even when used lawfully, snares inflict severe cruelty and suffering.

Robbie added: "The Scottish Government's Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill is an opportunity to rid our countryside of these deadly traps once and for all. The Government has explored this issue several times in recent years but always stopped short of an outright ban. Now is the opportunity to be bold, and put animal welfare first.

"The scope of the Bill has the potential to end a number of unpalatable practices which go on in our countryside to sustain sport shooting such as the use of stink pits to lure unsuspecting animals into deadly traps. This type of activity has no place in modern society and we hope as the Bill progresses and undergoes further scrutiny these opportunities won't be missed."

Scotland currently has the most stringent regulations on snare use, but despite this, protected species such as badgers are regularly caught and killed by snares. 

Dr Elspeth Srirling from Scottish Badgers,said: "Badgers are strong animals and fight to escape, resulting in severe injuries where the wire noose cuts through skin and muscle tissue and into the body cavity leaving the badger to endure prolonged agonies, pain and a lingering death. Scottish Badgers has attended several incidents in recent years where multiple snares were used year after year to trap badgers.

"Snare-users have had decades to demonstrate a willingness to do the right thing by avoiding positioning snares where badgers are present, but they stubbornly resist. Banning their use and manufacture outright is the only option.”

A recent field study of ground predator control by the League found that 57,000 killing devices are deployed each day in Scotland representing the equivalent of over 10,000,000 active trapping and snaring days per year, with nearly half of animals killed being non-target species such as hedgehogs, dippers and mistle thrush.

Ends

Notes to editor

1. The League Against Cruel Sports is Britain's leading animal charity that works to stop animals being persecuted, abused and killed for sport. The League was instrumental in helping bring about the landmark Hunting Act. We carry out investigations to expose law-breaking and cruelty to animals and campaign for stronger animal protection laws and penalties. We work to change attitudes and behaviour through education and manage sanctuaries to protect wildlife. Find out more about our work at www.league.org.uk. Registered charity in England and Wales (no.1095234) and Scotland (no.SC045533).
2. Footage and images can be downloaded here.
3. Media enquiries to Louise Robertson on 07930 539832 / louise@messagematters.co.uk