A Letter to the Editor
Posted: Friday, December 6, 2013
As wolf trapping and snaring season continues, the organization
"Howling for Wolves" reminds us of what traps and snares do to the
animals caught in them.
Minnesota allows the use of bait, wire snares and leg-hold traps. Snares cause swelling by slowly cutting off circulation. Wolves are almost always found alive. The term "jelly heads" is used by trappers to describe their swollen heads, caused by painful brain bleeds. Seventy-five percent of Minnesota's trapped wolves were caught in snares last year.
Minnesota allows the use of bait, wire snares and leg-hold traps. Snares cause swelling by slowly cutting off circulation. Wolves are almost always found alive. The term "jelly heads" is used by trappers to describe their swollen heads, caused by painful brain bleeds. Seventy-five percent of Minnesota's trapped wolves were caught in snares last year.
For wolves caught in
steel leghold traps, the circulation to the leg/paw is severely
restricted and painful. If it is cold, frostbite will set in quickly.
Some animals chew off limbs to escape.Traps are only required to be
checked every 24 hours, and trappers are not required to report
non-target species (including pets) caught in traps.
The DNR's own online
survey showed that 79 of respondents said "no" to hunting and trapping
of Minnesota's wolves. Why do these inhumane methods continue to be used
to take any animal?
Lynne Farmer
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