This commentary is by Heidi Coon of Fairfield, an advocate for ethical living, and a poet and artist.
Trapping animals is egregious cruelty for several reasons.
In addition to setting a trap to deliberately cause a free animal pain, injury and limb loss, traps are archaic. Medieval tools of a frontieresque trade that is redundant and repugnant inside of a society that strives for coexistence.
A trap clamping down on a leg, paw, or neck causes grossly unnecessary physical harm. Traps cause broken bones or lacerations to all of the animals caught in them. Caught? Yeah, not so much — trapped.
Depending on the actual trap that is used, animals suffer for extended periods before they are found and then killed. (Scant regulation allows traps to be checked once every 24 hours or even longer.)
Ever actually ponder the inhumane methods used to kill trapped animals? Bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat, a pipe, a hammer, drowning or suffocation. I have photos of all methods being used. Gotta save the fur, in many instances. Unless it’s for fun, then they’re shot at point- blank range.
This is acceptable? This is OK to do to a free or domestic animal? Have we forgotten humans are animals?
Let’s go through what all animals suffering experience, shall we?
Psychological harm. Yes. Any trapped animal experiences extreme fear, stress and anxiety, leading to significant psychological distress. High levels of cortisol are pumping through their bodies as their fight/flight instincts kick into overdrive. Ever see your pet dog get caught on or stuck in something accidentally?
Speaking of pets, traps are indiscriminate. Unintended victims of set traps can include any hapless animals, including pets. Also, traps have injured/killed farm animals, eagles, and other endangered species.
These animals suffer and die needlessly. For a microcosm of the population, these perverse and horrific “tools” of a dying trade are legal? Imagine, if you can, your kid walking in the woods with the family dog. (You needn’t imagine, you can Google it) Suddenly, the dog is trapped. Seeing their dog trapped, panicking, in pain, is about as helpless a feeling a kid can get.
Also, witnessing animal violence is a traumatic experience, especially if they witness their pet being hurt or killed. That trauma can manifest and show up as recurring nightmares, anxiety, or avoidance behaviors. It can also inspire fear, as well as aggression. What else can witnessing animal violence do? It can desensitize children, hardening them to an apathetic patina.
On the other hand, witnessing animal violence can also foster empathy for animals in some, leading them to become advocates for animals like it did for me.
For a healthy society, outlaw traps. They promote violence toward other animals. Trapping also leads to the unsustainable “harvesting” of wildlife populations, and indiscriminate trapping of any species. Synthetic removal of key species disrupts ecosystems and harms other wildlife, plants, insects, etc.
For both environmental and ethical reasons, ban trapping. It is cruel and archaic, having been used for thousands of years as a means to obtain food and clothing, but today, trapping is neither humane or sustainable (or necessary).
Besides, there are actually other methods for obtaining those resources. Everything can be done in a more ethical and regulated manner, with the goal of minimizing suffering paramount, all while continuing to preserve the balance of ecosystems.
Bottom line: Trapping animals is a cruel, outdated and unnecessary practice that should be phased out in favor of more humane and sustainable methods.
