West Wales couple find a dead snared badger on their land
Posted 5th April 2021
The snared badger must have broken free from where the snare was anchored but sadly died from the wounds inflicted by these cruel traps, on their land.
Neil Roberts and Clare Roberts spoke to leading national animal welfare charity League Against Cruel Sports about the upsetting experience.
Neil said: “I was really upset about the suffering the badger must have experienced by being caught in a snare and struggling to break free.
“I would 100 per cent support a ban on snares in Wales.”
Clare said: “Snares are indiscriminate, inflict pain as well as death, and should be banned.”
Bethan Collins, senior public affairs officer for Wales, at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “Wales has an opportunity to lead the way in the UK by introducing laws that eliminate rather than regulate animal cruelty. We need a comprehensive ban on snares in Wales; one that prohibits their manufacture, possession, sale, and use. This is the only way to truly tackle the suffering they cause.”
Badgers are a protected species under the Protection of Badger Act 1992. Snares are thin wire nooses laid by farmers and gamekeepers to trap animals they want to kill.
According to figures released by Defra, in Wales there are up to 51,000 snares lying hidden in the countryside at any one time.
Many of its victims will suffocate or endure horrific injuries in their struggle to escape.
It is illegal to set a snare for a badger but the League has received a number of reports across Wales. Recently there was a report of the RSPCA Cymru releasing a badger back into the wild in Ceredigion after being caught in a snare.
A conservationist in South West Wales recently spoke out about the issue of snares, after a badger sadly died of its wounds after being snared – one of many brought into his animal rescue centre since opening in the 1990’s.
The League recently released polling carried out by YouGov in January 2021 which found 78 per cent of the Welsh public wanted snares to be made illegal.
Bethan Collins added: ““The indiscriminate nature of snares and the suffering they cause to animals is horrendous.
“Our polling shows the public have enough of this cruel practice and we are hopeful the next Welsh Government will act to consign them to the history books.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,085 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 15th - 19th January 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults in Wales (aged 18+).