Thursday, February 11, 2010
Trapped by Mercy
Posted on Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 4:00 AM
Missoula’s horrifying story of the kitten Mercy’s abuse—smashed spine and pelvis, squished vertebrae, bruised and broken limbs, attempted drowning, shock, paralysis—has brought a national outpouring of compassion. But the agony poor Mercy suffered is exactly what happens to countless tens of thousands of animals that struggle in fear and pain and slowly die in traps every year in Montana.
Tens of thousands of traps are baited, hidden, set and reset across Montana. The furbearing season lasts nine months. For predators like foxes and coyotes, traps can be set all year long, anywhere, no license required. No one knows how many animals are killed, drowned, or how many chew off their feet or twist their limbs until they break, and then chew through tissue, muscle and arteries to escape—it’s so common, trappers call this a “wring-off.” One ranger, trapping for a year, documented that for every animal taken, two are discarded.
Now Montana has vanishing populations of rare and sensitive creatures who live by their wits and endanger no one: fisher, marten, otter, lynx and wolverine, all thanks to recreational trapping.
In any other circumstance, this wasteful abuse would bring felony charges. But every day and night across our public lands’ mountains and prairies, thousands of animals suffer and are stomped and clubbed to death in the name of recreation. Wildlife in Montana belongs to all Montanans. Over the past 15 years the Legislature has killed three bills attempting to rein in trapping. Why is the state letting this practice continue?
Now citizens can stop it. We can support Initiative 160, Montana Trap-Free Public Lands. Find the petition and sign it. Go to www.mttrapfree.org. Put an end to this shameful “hobby.”
Dave Taylor
Missoula
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I don't know where Mr. Taylor got his info on trapping but it is way off. Not only is he way off but trapping is an essential method for controling animal populations. Learn the truth not someones half truths and lies before supporting a law that is bad for Montanna.
Others commenting here are obviously trappers who will never reveal the awful truth of the brutality of traps. They make a bunch of money on our wildlife and could care less who they hurt. Small animals like foxes, bobcats and lynx don't need to be "controlled"(killed). They are limited by their food supply of rodents. When pelt prices are low, like in the 90's, trapping dried up, but we never got knee deep in any of the animals killed for fur.
Others commenting here are obviously trappers who will never reveal the awful truth of the brutality of traps. They make a bunch of money on our wildlife and could care less who they hurt. Small animals like foxes, bobcats and lynx don't need to be "controlled"(killed). They are limited by their food supply of rodents. When pelt prices are low, like in the 90's, trapping dried up, but we never got knee deep in any of the animals killed for fur.
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