Update: Good news! This bill was signed into law by the Governor on 05/16/06.
Bill Description: Under existing Maryland law, the use of leghold traps is banned in 4 counties. This bill would expand that ban to also include Howard County. The law would continue to allow farmers to use these traps on their own land, and the state could utilize these devices for wildlife control. The traps also could be used in water.
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Leghold traps are cruel, arbitrary, and antiquated. These devices cause immense suffering as the animals they capture may die of dehydration, starvation, or predation from other animals if the trapper fails to check the device soon after the animal stumbles into it. In addition, these devices are not species-selective. They are an indiscriminate killing method that sometimes catches and kills non-target animals. These cruel devices should be banned.