Why We Care

Millions of Animals Are Cruelly Killed by Traps Each Year

Each year, millions of fur-bearing animals are caught in traps, killed in the name of “nuisance” wildlife control or for their fur. And, contrary to the claims of quick and humane kills made by trapping proponents, animals caught in traps die slowly – by drowning, predation, exposure, shock, injury, or blood loss – sometimes after languishing for days. There are even stories of animals being caught in traps, left unchecked for days by the trapper, who were forced to attempt to chew off their limbs just to free themselves.

In the United States, no federal trapping statistics are produced and the last time a thorough analysis of the number of animals trapped in all 50 states was carried out was for the 1998-99 trapping season:

Species Number trapped in the U.S.
 Badger  6,750
 Beaver  333,132
 Black bear  59
 Bobcat  24,070
 Coyote 154,660
 Fisher  8,441  
 Fox, Arctic  208
 Fox, Gray  77,334
 Fox, Red 130,082
 Fox, Kit/Swift  444
 Lynx  2,785
 Marten  9,013
 Mink 147,598
 Muskrat  1,426,857
 Nutria 131,271
 Opossum  227,365
 Otter 17,614
 Raccoon  1,846,649
 Ringtail  4,174
 Skunk  77,624
 Weasel  7,941
 Wolf  1,495
 Wolverine  505
TOTAL: 4,636,071

Wolf in a trap.
Photo: Dan King Wild Alaska.

Trapping Poses a Danger to Non-Target Animals and People

Trapping is not only dangerous to targeted wildlife, it also poses a threat to non-targeted animals, such as pets and protected species, and even to people, who may become caught accidentally in traps. One Wyoming family lost all three of their dogs to traps! Born Free USA maintains a database of non-target trapping incidents to catalogue these events.

“It’s hard to believe people use these awful traps. No one went back to check on it. It’s horrible that someone would leave an animal to die for no apparent reason. I really hope people see what happened to him and think twice before they put something like that down.”

Pet owner whose cat, Max, was caught in a trap in Pennsylvania in 2013.

Inadequate Federal and State Laws and Enforcement

It is often said that trapping is an issue for state governance. Trapping seasons, how often traps need to be checked, what type of traps are legal to use and on what species is all largely regulated through the individual states. The statistics, however, show that these laws do not work. Despite the savage and ubiquitous nature of trapping, laws – federal or state – do not provide adequate safeguards. And, trapping is everywhere – public, private, and even protected lands and recreational areas are not immune, including many National Wildlife Refuges.

Our 2017 Trapping Report Revealed...


Only 4 states received an "A" grade.
California, Colorado, Hawaii, and Washington.

30 states received a failing grade ("D" or "F").
Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.


Only 10 states have restrictions on how trapped animals can be killed.
Alabama, California, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Washington.

Only 4 states require trappers to report if any non-targeted animals have been trapped.
Alabama, Idaho, Nevada, and Washington.


Only 7 states ban steel jaw leg-hold traps.
California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Washington.

Only 6 states have a full ban on conibear traps.
California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Washington.

Only 13 states prohibit snares.
Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

 

Non-Target Trapping Incidents Database

Millions of animals fall victim to traps each year, causing untold suffering and death for many of the creatures, not all of whom were targeted by the trappers. Dogs, cats, endangered species, and even humans can be caught in leg-hold traps, snares, or body-crushing Conibear "kill" traps. Search our database of non-target trapping incidents.

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Born Free USA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. EIN 94-6187633.