The American Veterinary Medical Association recently issued a revised policy concerning the humaneness of using steel jawed leg-hold traps, which encourages modern, modified traps that are intended to increase animal welfare. Part of their position can be seen below:
While not perfect, modified traps are less likely to cause severe injury and improvements in their application mean they are more likely to catch target species and less likely to catch non-target species. Modern traps, when used in conjunction with trap monitors and tranquilizers, have substantially reduced the negative welfare effects of leghold traps,” explains Dr. Gail Golab, director of the Animal Welfare Division.
The AMVA acknowledges that trapping animals for research, relocation and restoration are neccessary, and that advances in trap design and modifications have made trapping more humane.
However, the following excerpt is quite troubling:
“This policy sets clear expectations for what is appropriate and what is not when trapping.”
Does this mean that the AMVA actually thinks it has the authority to decide what is appropriate and humane when dealing with WILD animals?
Trappers, trap manufacturers and biologists have all played an important role in making advances in the effectiveness and humanity of trapping devices. However, allowing a group to define what is and what isn’t humane when it comes to wild animals is treading on dangerous territory.
Trappers should be responsible and do their best to trap in the most humane way possible, and in the recent past the trapping community has worked hard at achieving such a goal. Trapping BMP (best management practices) research has been ongoing for years, and provides great advice and guidelines for trappers.
There is a silver lining to the AMVA statements, however. The association recognizes that leghold traps are being used very successfully and humanely for research purposes, and the science has proven that these devices can be very humane. What they don’t tell you, however, is that these are often the same traps being used by trappers, the same traps that animal rights activists would like you to believe are the most vicious and terrible devices ever created, and should all be banned. Those who are familiar with the AR groups already know that they are full of baloney, and the AMVA statements provide some further evidence of how outrageous these claims are.
But folks like the AMVA shouldn’t have the authority to mandate whether certain practices dealing with wild animals should be allowed. There are substantial differences between household pets and wild animals, and definitions of humane can range all across the board. Common-sense trappers will do their best to treat captured animals as humanely as possible, while maintaining traditional practices despite the disapproval of special interest groups and animal welfare advocates.
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