Animal trapping in the Adirondacks have always been a highly controversial topic debated between trappers, who are trying to make a living, and opposition, who are looking out for the well-being and ethical treatment of animals. While hunters and trappers bring over $700 million a year to the New York State, the consequences of animal traps appear to outweigh the positives (ADKWLC). Non-targeted animals are commonly caught in the trap, which includes pets, birds, or other wildlife. As these animals are trapped, they suffer greatly and either fall victim to predators or are released back into the wild with injuries that will eventually lead to their deaths. Long periods of struggle is frequent as hunters are not legally required to check the trap more than once over a 24-48 hour period (ADKWLC). Accidental trapping in the Adirondack area may be more common than most people assume as birds, pets, and even bears have fallen victim.
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| Photo by DEC |
In the village of Chestertown, located in the Adirondacks, a pet dog died after its head was unintentionally caught in a beaver trap (Grondahl). Another incident of an accidental trapping occurred in Brushton, where a large female red-tailed hawk had been caught in a trap and lost one of her legs (ADKWLC). Similarly, a bald eagle got caught in a trap but was able to loosen the trap's chain and flew away with the chain attached before being entangled in the branch and left dangling (ADKWLC). Both birds survived and were rescued but a barred owl was not as lucky as it flew around with a trap on its leg and eventually died (ADKWLC). Lastly, a grizzly bear was caught in a leg-hold trap and was forced to bite off its own paw in order to escape (ADKWLC).
While these accidental trappings were reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation and North Country Wildcare, many of these accidents go unreported. These non-targeted animals are either disposed of by trappers, eaten by predators, or released back into the wild with life-threatening injuries. Even with the economic benefit of trapping, the consequences, which include prolonged suffering and trapping of non-targeted animals, are devastating. With an increase of publicity for similar incidents, the New York State is now under pressure to either ban trapping or find a way to shorten suffering and prevent non-targeted animals from being affected.
Sources:
Grondahl, Paul. "Dog Dies after Caught in Beaver Trap in Adirondacks."Times Union. Times Union, 2 Apr. 2016.
Adirondack Wildlife. "Leghold Traps." Adirondack Wildlife. Adirondack Wildlife Refuge, n.d.
It's interesting to me how often traps accidentally catch the wrong animals, considering how infrequently that was discussed in all of our reading about the history of trapping in the Adirondacks. I'm not sure if it is on the rise, and that's why we are hearing about it now, or if people just never reported it back then. I'm sure that if pets continue to be accidentally trapped, then the public will make sure that trapping restrictions are put in place.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comment made above. Trapping to me is such an important part of Adirondack history and from what I understand, it has been decreasing significantly since the 1990's with the fur trade. We haven't really covered the cons of trapping in class, but I really appreciate having the point of view of both sides. I feel often with issues such as this, both sides are not represented fairly so thank you for doing some research about this.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that accidentally trapping in the Adirondacks is more frequent than we think. I remember Schneider's portrayal of the trapper as a naturalist - someone who has an extra keen eye on wildlife and the environment. On a different note, I think it is interesting to think about the difference between accidental trapping and intended trapping. Both actions end up with the hurt or death of the animal, but are there different ethical considerations behind the two actions? For example, do people seem to feel that accidental trapping is more abhorrent than regular trapping because the victims are pets, which people have a more personal connection to?
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