Search Trapping Incidents Database

A lynx was found dead in a trap that had been set for other species. The lynx had apparently climbed a tree that was standing inches away from the trap and became ensnared when it reached into the trap.

A man walked his dog beside the greens of a golf course when he let the dog off his leash. Rupert suddenly darted into the woods. Then the man heard an excruciating howl, and found Rupert “flopping around” with his head in the trap. The trap was tethered to the ground and the man could not get it free. The trap was baited with fish oil. Police responded quickly, but the dog was dead. It took three men to pry the springs open to release Rupert. A police investigation has been inconclusive.

A German Shepherd was discovered by the assistant conservation supervisor of the provincial Department of Natural Resources in the Loch Lomond watershed area with her head stuck in a Conibear trap. After freeing the large German shepherd mix, the man quickly took her to the Animal Rescue League shelter. The shelter’s executive diretor said she was surprised the dog survived the ordeal. “The dog’s head went into the trap on an angle,” she said. “This dog should be dead, it’s just fortunate that the head didn’t go in straight.” The dog has a badly swollen muzzle and seems to be traumatized, but should be able to recover. A veterinarian inspected the dog, and said she should be kept quiet and calm while she heals. The trap was set legally.

A neighbor lady had someone set traps to try to catch a fox that had been killing her chickens. This was near homes, within city limits. Dixie was caught in the trap overnight. Veterinarian treatment consisted of x-rays, setting of bones, and a special bandage to draw out an infection, at an cost of $1,000. Dixie’s guardian wrote, “This lady knows there are a lot of outside cats around this area. She’s an old lady, good neighbor, I don’t know what she was thinking.” As of report time, the woman had not been charged.

Grizzly was playing with another dog in front of his house while his caregiver was shoveling his driver. Grizzly apparently smelled meat used as bait in a bucket on a neighbor’s porch. He was gone just moments, but, all bloody and crazed with pain, came running back with a Conibear 220 trap on his head. Two animal control officers took Grizzly to Pet Emergency but he died in transit. It took four people to get the trap off the dead dog’s head. The trap was set illegally. Police are investigating.

Efforts by the borough of Verdun to eradicate troublesome beavers on Nuns’ Island have resulted in one dead dog and several angry residents. A Borough spokesperson confirmed that the dog died after getting its head caught in a trap that had been set at the water’s edge near two condo buildings. The borough had contracted Nature Action, a group specializing in managing wildlife, which in turn had hired a professional trapper to set four beaver traps. The rodents have been destroying trees along the shoreline at an alarming rate, it was claimed. One resident said that the beavers are not the main threat to the island’s trees. “It’s fine for the developers to cut down all the trees on the island, but not the beavers. I wish somebody would set a trap for developers,” she said.

Andre was caught in an animal trap or snare. A woman found him when she noticed him trailing blood across a country road. The woman nursed him back to health, although she initially didn’t think he would make it. “No one had seen a dog with two legs cut off like that,” she said. “The bone was sticking out on both of them. It was horrible.” Now, Andre bounces around her back yard like a Pogo-Stick. When tired, he leans against the house or the fence. The plan is to fit him with artificial legs.

Shepherd mix, Luna, was trapped in a leghold trap. Dog lost a lot of blood. Possessor achieved a settlement with the trapper.

A man was walking his dog along the south shore of Lake Keegan when she caught a whiff of something. Because the man had been training Bella for hunting, he allowed her off the sidewalk about 100 yards to investigate. After exploring, the two started to walk back and passed a metal post. He heard Bella yelp and thought at first that she was tangled in some barbed wire in the grass. When he looked closer, he realized that a metal trap was around her neck. As he frantically struggled to remove it, Bella began to suffocate, her eyes wide and tongue turning blue. “By the time I figured out how it all worked and where the release was, it was too late,” he recalled. “She was gone.” The man immediately notified the police, thinking there was “no way” trapping could be legal so close to a residential area. The trap was for coyotes and raccoons. He soon found out that Rosemount had no rules on trapping and started writing letters to city officials. His efforts paid off. In September 2008, the Rosemount City Council passed an ordinance 5-0 restricting where traps can be set.

A family dog was found dead in a Conibear 220 trap about a week after he died. Elliot had managed to uproot the stake securing the trap and struggled about 75 feet before he died. Elliot’s caregivers turned the trap over to a Conservation Officer, who submitted the results of his investigation to the state’s attorney’s office. Writing to Elliot’s caregivers, the owner of the trap said his intent in setting the trap was to protect his garden from scavenging raccoons and that he had no intention of trapping the dog. He also wrote that “allowing a dog to run repeatedly at-large is irresponsible and dangerous” and that the dog “should have been locked up that night.” The Conibear trap used had jaws above 8 inches, illegal for use on land in South Dakota. The fine for using the illegal trap is $126. No court appearance will be required.