Animal Protection Groups Unite and Urge Boris Johnson to Ban Snares
Animal protection groups – including PETA – have united in signing a joint open letter urging the prime minister to ban the manufacture, sale, possession, and use of snares immediately.
The current “code of best practice” on the use of snares – which was implemented instead of a ban – is failing animals. The letter, coordinated by Animal Aid, highlights this and notes that MPs actually voted for a ban in 2016, yet the will of the House of Commons has been ignored.
Read the full letter here.
What Are Snares?
Snares consist of a wire noose which may tighten when an animal becomes trapped in it and struggles. Traps and snares are routinely set in game-shooting areas and on estates like Sandringham in a crude attempt to catch predators who might steal eggs or kill the young pheasants that hunters wish to shoot.
Only certain types of snares are legal, but illegal ones are still in use. The law is poorly enforced and has no teeth, meaning thousands of animals are mercilessly caught and killed every year with no consequences for those who set the traps.
Why the ‘Code of Best Practice’ Is Failing Animals
These barbaric devices maim and kill animals indiscriminately. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ figures show that 15 out of 18 animals caught in a snare trap field trial were not foxes, the intended victims. Of course, it’s speciesist to condemn the death of some species but condone the death of others in snares, and the use of these cruel devices to snare any animal can never be justified. Victims often endure a slow, terrifying death as they struggle to escape.
In January 2021, there was outrage when a local dog became entangled in a snare trap on the Sandringham Estate. She suffered for hours and could easily have died. A protected little owl was also caught and fatally wounded at the end of 2020. All animals must be protected from a terrifying death in a snare by banning these devices without delay.
How You Can Help
The UK is one of only five European countries that still allow snaring, primarily to protect the lucrative shooting industry.
Will you join us in urging the government to protect animals and ban these archaic contraptions in the UK immediately?
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