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Indiscriminate snares

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Published Date: 15 February 2008

Drew Ainslie makes a number of inaccurate comments regarding the use of snares (Platform, 7 February).
If snares were really so important for protecting ground-nesting birds, perhaps he could explain why the RSPB does not see the need to use snares on any of its 130,000 hectares of reserves. The reality is that gamekeepers' primary reason for wanting to continue using snares is to try to protect the artificially high numbers of game birds for "sport" shooting.

Snares are indiscriminate traps. Not only do they catch their target "pests" such as foxes and rabbits but they also catch other wild animals, including protected species such as otters, mountain hares and badgers. A report released by the Scottish SPCA showed that of 269 animals reported as having been caught in snares only 23 per cent were "pests" such as foxes and rabbits. Companion animals such as cats and dogs accounted for 17 per cent of the total.

ROSS MINETT, Advocates for Animals, Queensferry Street, Edinburgh





The full article contains 168 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 14 February 2008 9:27 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Angus,

Alexandria 15/02/2008 08:34:30
Absolutely correct!

Drew Ainslie’s article supporting snaring (7 Feb) is not only factually incorrect but expresses the hacked out view of the game shooting industry that rural life will somehow be altered forever if snares are banned. The same was said about hunting with hounds before it was banned and nothing much changed.

In truth, snaring is a nasty and vicious practice, which is responsible for unacceptable cruelty across a wide range of target and non-target species, including domestic pets that are unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is plenty of anecdotal and photographic evidence to prove this.

The game and wildlife shooting industry lives in its own world and has little concern about cruelty as long as the money keeps rolling in.

There is an opportunity to ban snaring once and for all and the time to do it is now
2

Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 15/02/2008 10:14:17
If hunting with hounds was allowed then there would be less need to use snares.
3

ignorant townie?,

Scotland 15/02/2008 10:53:20
#2...Now thats just plain daft.

While hunting with hounds was openly practiced - it still goes on of course but with quad bikes instead of horses - snaring was widespread.Bringing that back would change nothing, particularly on grouse moors.

Hunting with hounds was never about fox control - ask any keeper who worked in a hunting area. Hunts hated foxes being shot or snared, it removed them from being hunted.

Agree with main point about serious conservation groups not using snaring. Also...huge area of land owned by Forestry Commission where snaring has been banned for decades.

 

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