This pregnant fox was found dragging a leg-hold trap on her front paw. All the bones were broken and exposed. Fortunately, Northern Lights Wildlife Society was able to take in the fox and save her kits. Their fates remain uncertain but one thing is clear: leg-hold traps do nothing but cause suffering. Images provided by Northern Lights Wildlife Society.
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It is time to end the use of leg-hold traps in British Columbia.
The devastating injury to a pregnant fox in Houston, BC is the latest in an ongoing string of horror stories involving the steel devices. Her paw was crushed – multiple broken bones were visible through the large gash. Fortunately, Northern Lights Wildlife Society was able to save the young mother’s kits: four healthy, squirming fox babies are being hand fed by permitted wildlife rehabilitators. The fate of the mother herself remains unknown.
Such hideous incidents occur regularly in British Columbia: a coyote with a mangled paw, raccoons desperate to get rid of the devices biting into their appendages, and, according to government documents, several reported pets per year.
Trappers and the government point to a trade agreement and research (the AIHTS) as to why these traps are humane and should be used; but no amount of laboratory testing excuses the predictable pain and suffering leg-hold traps cause to wildlife and pets in our province.
The government must respond now to the anguish they have allowed for decades. It is time to ban the use of leg-hold traps in British Columbia.
