It’s Fur Trapping Season Again
Sade usually lays on the deck. She's pictured here with Chloe and in the background, our late Emma
One of our neighbors called yesterday to let us know one of his dogs had gotten caught in a trap along the shore below his house.
“If one of your dogs goes missing, you might look there,” he said.
I wrote about this last winter when Dale encountered a trapper along our shoreline. We live along Corps of Engineers property and trapping for fur is allowed during the winter on these public lands.
Although he was well within his rights, the trapper picked up his traps when Dale told him there were homes all along this road, all of which have dogs.
Our neighbor said he had been running his dogs along the shore; it was an unusually nice day here, in the 70s.
Dogy (Dee-o-g) ran ahead and began to yipe. He was alright once our neighbor freed him, but the horrible screaming pain the dog was in while trapped is just a reminder of what any animal feels when caught in one of these inhumane devices.
As I wrote last year, we didn’t realize that trapping was allowed on public lands until my aunt moved here and one of her dogs was missing for two days until they tracked her wails to where her leg was caught.
Prior to that, we came down here boating and often tied up along the shores, allowing our miniature dachshund, Hershey, to explore the rocky shoreline.
When I wrote an article a few years ago about trapping, I found many reports of dogs being killed in traps set on Corps land, as well as in public parks that allow trapping.
This article details how a dachshund/chihuahua mix was killed on the first day of trapping season in Minnesota last fall. The little dog was being walked by a 6-year-old girl. I’m sure the horror of that incident will remain with the little girl for a long time and it’s just fortuitous that the girl wasn’t caught in the trap and injured.
We don’t participate in rifle hunting, although I see the purpose of it if people are going to eat the meat.
However, I just do not see the purpose of maiming and torturing animals for their fur, particularly when it is on lands where dogs, cats and other people might be walking.
Do you believe fur trapping should be legal on public lands?
Just awful all the way around.
I agree, Jane.
Around here people are more likely to shoot things than trap them, but I think there are some trappers around. I almost NEVER hike / walk with my dogs off leash, so I keep a close eye, but a lot of my neighbors allow their dogs to run.
I’m surprised you haven’t heard of more of this in the Rockies, Roxanne, but perhaps you aren’t out far enough? Good to be cautious, though, you just never know.
There doesn’t seem to be any sport at all in trapping unless your catching crab. Unless it’s being done to keep humans safe from some angry animal, it shouldn’t be allowed.
I agree.
I think hunting is a bit more humane than trapping, if only because the animal doesn’t suffer long and the main intent is to kill it with just one shot. But trapping is just horrible. It’s even worse that, from reading this, they don’t seem to check their traps very often. So an animal just sits in pain for days? That’s terrible, whether it’s a pet a fox or whatever. No fur for me.
Completely agree with you, Alisa.
Good lord — what a horrible idea for humans and animals alike.
It’s disgusting when we come up with so many ways to hurt other living beings, isn’t it, Ruth?
I think this is one of the most horrible things a person could do to any animal. I hate it. I have a 3 legged cat because of a trapper near our home. Makes me sick to think of what the animals go through while in those traps. I think it’s sick.
Oh, I’m so sorry for your kitty, Doreen!
Oh this is horrible. I can’t imagine why anyone would think they should do this to any animal.
Exactly, Brette. It’s horribly cruel and indiscriminate.
It seems to me that there should at least be signs along the shoreline, warning people that there could be traps. That is awful. Cannot imagine deliberately practicing such cruelty and brutality on helpless animals.
Signs would be helpful for the humans, but still wouldn’t tell us where the traps might be hiding. We feel it takes away from our own enjoyment of the lake as well. We have to be wary of snakes and poison ivy in the summer and crippling traps in the winter!
I hate the thought of trapping, I hate the thought of animals being killed only for their fur, (actually I hate the thought of their being killed for me to eat but I do eat meat, hypocrite that I am. I was vegetarian for many years but became very unhealthy on that diet). I can’t even bear to read stories of animal cruelty or suffering . . . yet, when I was young, I “inherited” an old, full length persian lamb coat of my mother’s. I wore it all winter long (this was back when wearing fur was not politically incorrect) and was NEVER, EVER cold. Here, in the Great White North where temperatures remain well below freezing for long dark month after long dark month, wearing fur is the only thing that makes sense – vis a vis the Inuit, Laplanders, Siberians and others who inhabit such a climate. I do notice that almost everyone – the PETA types – who objects to it lives in a warm climate. Maybe they should try shivering through one of our winters.
So . . . I shall continue to wear my politically correct winter coat and either freeze or remain indoors most of the time **sigh**.
I admit that I had a rabbit fur coat back in the 70s when it was fashionable. My much older sister had one and I finally got one for Christmas. I later donated it to an animal organization that was collecting fur coats. I think we all have our level of hypocricy. For example, if it is not ok to wear fur, why is it ok to wear leather? Factory farmed animals (of which we try not to buy) are treated terribly inhumane too. So there is all kinds of levels of torture, I guess.
Synthetic furs look nice, but aren’t all that warm. Additionally the synthetic fibers tend to break off in extreme cold, while the natural animal hair fibers don’t. As you say, none of the PETA types lives in an extreme cold climate. And they figure they are good with gortex, because down jackets are made from killing and plucking ducks and geese.
There are “ethically” collected down, which is collected from molting ducks in the nest, Freth. Most people I know who has a problem with fur, who wears or uses down as insulation, makes sure it comes from a nest collecting company.