The countryside can be a place of tranquility and is where many of us escape to for some peace, as well as a chance to appreciate the natural beauty of our fauna and flora.
However, there can be a less attractive side to the countryside. Whether it is a stroll through woodland, a hike across the hills or a jog along a country track, it is possible that you may come across a more unpleasant scene than the one you were expecting. Here, I want to update and refresh a previous blog which I wrote, which is a guide to traps in the countryside and what to do if you come across them.
Traps set in the countryside, of which there are thousands set throughout the UK, come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and are designed to catch a variety of mammals and birds. Many of the traps found will be legal, some will be of a legal type, but have been set up in an illegal manner and some are just downright illegal.
The main purpose of trapping animals in our countryside, by those that set them, is to kill animals that they see as a threat to their business, which more often than not is to rear birds to be shot for entertainment.
If you do come across a trap that you find suspicious or possibly illegal then you should contact the police and if you discover an animal that looks injured, sick or is a protected species in a trap then it would be a good idea to also contact the RSPB, SSPCA or RSPCA. It is illegal to tamper with a legal trap, but if you have any doubts or concerns about a trap then make enquiries with one of the above organisations or authorities for clarification.
OneKind would also be keen to hear about anything that you find and if you have a camera or camera phone with you then it may be a good idea to take some photos of what you have found. It is also worth trying to get the exact location of where you are if you do come across something, which will help those who you report your findings to.
Here are a few examples of traps that have been found within the Scottish countryside. Though the legislation for setting traps in Scotland is mainly the same as the rest of the UK, there may be one or two variations.
Larsen trap (Scotland) - Illegally set
This would be a legal trap if it wasn’t for the fact that the ‘decoy’ or ‘calling’ bird used to attract other birds into the cage was a Jay bird as only carrion crows, rooks or magpies can legally be used as decoys in Scotland. Note the sign attached to the side of the cage which informs the public that the cage is legal even though the cage was being used unlawfully.
All corvid traps must have a unique ID number/code attached to them which identifies the estate and owner of the cage. This is required by law and the cage operator has to apply for these codes from the police when they register there trap. If they do not and the cage has no ID tag or sign with a unique code number on it then it will be an illegally set cage and therefore should be reported.
Sadly, the condition of this Jay was very poor and it was later humanely put to sleep by a vet.
Larsen trap (Scotland) - Legal
A legal Larsen trap requires that the live decoy bird must have access to water, a suitable perch, food and be provided with shelter. Again, the trap is only legal if it has an identification tag or sign on it which is issued by the local police authority. The tag will often be white and tied to the cage.
Crow - Ladder and Funnel - trap (Scotland) - Illegally set
This trap has no identification tag which it is legally required to have like the Larsen traps above. Just like Larson traps, the crow trap tag is issued by the police and has a unique number/code on it which identifies the estate. If it does not have this ID number then the cage operator may be breaking the law. This cage was found to contain twelve crows. The crow trap must by law have suitable perching, access to water; food and shelter for the decoy bird and the gamekeeper should be checking the cage within a twenty four hour period and removing any birds that have been caught. In this case it appears that no check has been made for a while. So many territorial crows in an enclosed space can cause welfare issues as well as there not being enough shelter and perching space for such a large number of birds.
Crow - Funnel - trap (Scotland) Legal
The crow cage trap is legal as it has a suitable perch, shelter, water, food and an identification tag attached. If it did not have any one of these then it would not meet the legal requirements and would be illegal.
Crow - Funnel - trap (Scotland) Illegally set
This crow cage trap had no ID tag and therefore should not be set to trap birds. Unfortunately, the trap was set with bait in the cage and had caught a protected buzzard. After this photo was taken, the condition of the bird was checked then evidence was taken and reported to the relevant authorities. The buzzard was then released back into the wild.
Crow - Ladder - trap (Scotland) Illegally set
This cage had caught a Goshawk. Bird seed was found scattered on the floor of the cage and the remains of a small bird, probably used as live bait and killed by the goshawk, was also discovered which would indicate that the cage had been specifically managed to catch birds of prey. The Goshawk in the picture was in good physical condition and so after evidence was taken and reported to the relevant authorities, it was released back into the wild.
Crow - Ladder - trap (Scotland) - Illegally set
This trap had been set to catch birds of prey such as goshawks. Two live pigeons had been put into the cage as bait. The raptor will enter the cage and attack the pigeons, but will not be able to escape and later the game keeper will return and kill the legally protected bird of prey. The two pigeons in this picture, being used as live bait, were unharmed and after evidence was taken and reported to the relevant authorities, they were released back into the wild.
Clam/snapper trap (illegally set)
This trap is made of a thick wire and is held open by a false perch. Often, bait is set on the floor of the trap and above it is a stick cut in two pieces which acts as the perch. The trap has springs and when the bird lands on the perch the perch collapses, which triggers the cage to slam shut and catches the bird. This cage can be indiscriminate in the birds that it traps, including protected birds such as raptors. Scottish Natural Heritage has recently permitted these traps to be officially used in Scotland, even though there are clear welfare concerns over it's use. In the past, as the illustration above shows, carrion was allowed to be used as bait, but now, in Scotland, only eggs or bread can be used. If anything other than eggs or bread is found being used to attract birds into the trap then the trap will be illegal and it is advised to report it to the RSPB and the police.
If you come across these traps then it is advisable to contact the RSPCA, SSPCA, RSPB or your local Police Wildlife Officer.
Fen trap (Scotland) - Illegally set
Though this spring trap is legal, the way it is being used here is not. It is legal to set the trap onto a log crossing a stream, but the fen trap should have some kind of covering over it to restrict the species of animal that can be caught by it. The wire over this trap is wide open and could catch the face of an inquisitive fox, bird or any other animal that can fit through the end of the wire tunnel. The springs on this trap are very powerful and can crush bone. The wire tunnel should be much more restricted at both ends to catch its target species such as the stoat and weasel.
Fen trap (Scotland) - legal
The game keeper here has restricted the size at each end of the tunnel and so only the intended target animals such as the stoat and weasel should be able to pass through to the spring trap.
Mammal cage trap (Scotland) - Legal
Though the cage is legal to use to catch animals such as foxes or mink, in this case it had caught a protected Pine Marten. If the gamekeeper is checking his cages regularly then he should discover the animal in good health and is required by law to release it unharmed. After first checking his condition, the Pine Marten in this picture was released back into the wild and was reported to the relevant authorities.
Wire snares
Wire snares are another form of trapping device with hundreds of thousands set throughout the UK. The snare in this picture is unlawfully set. Scottish law requires all snares, set or in position to be set, to be tagged with an official ID number and the name of the species of animal that the snare is intended for, such as fox or rabbit. The laws related to snares in the rest of the UK are different and so if you come across such a device whilst out in the countryside and have concerns about it's legality or find an animal, dead or alive, trapped in one then it would be advisable to contact the SSPCA, RSPCA or local Wildlife Police Officer for help and advice. Also it would be very helpful if you could let us know about your snare finds at the OneKind SnareWatch website.
As with the legal cage and spring traps, it is also an offence to tamper with a legal snare. For further information on what is and is not a legal snare then you may find this resource useful. Alternatively contact OneKind on 0131 225 6039 and we will try to help.
What happens if the Police or animal groups say they won’t come?
If there is a trapped animal in distress, injured or sick then an inspector from the RSPCA, RSPB or SSPCA should be alerted and they will attend. If you believe the trap to be illegal or is beiing used in an illegal manner then contact the police local to the area. Many areas of the UK have Wildlife Crime Officers and they will give advice. The nature of traps is that they are often set in isolated areas of the countryside and so it may take a while before anybody gets to the scene, but somebody will come out if it is a case of an animal suffering.
Great blog.
There seems to be a very fine line between what is legal and what is illegal. I’ve no doubt that the majority of those setting the traps will try to get away with breaking the rules wherever possible. For that reason, anyone who comes across a trap should probably contact the police or relevant organisation regardless of whether it appears to be set legally or not.
What a horrible and outdated practice. I hope a ban comes into place soon.
Please may I use your images in a wildlife crime talk I am putting together. I will focus mainly on badgers but your trap/cage/snare pictures will be very useful. What acknowledgment is to be used if you agree?
Excellent article even though I am in England the issues are the same and perhaps people would like to know about the National Anti Snaring Campaign http://www.antisnaring.org.uk/
As a pest controller myself i am happy that people who give people such as myself a bad name should be dealt with but there are many of us doing a very good job protecting people, property and health of the countryside. With out these traps the countrside would be far worse off. Its not coincidence that moors with gamekeepers have far more bio diversity on them than moors with no predator management.
Also without these traps you should think of where your food comes from. You only have to kill 1 chicken to make a nugget but to make a loaf of bread that crop needs to be protected from atleast 4 different animals. As for the fenn traps i use them everyday and i have to say around grain stores i find nothing better. I do like my biscuits fat faeces free.
Lorna. A ban. Think about how your food gets to your table.
Does the Mammal cage trap require an identification label?
If not why not. What if labels are illegable?
Jo, correct me if i am wrong but you are not employed by arable farmers to protect the supply of food to our table are you? I do not for one moment accept the countryside is a better place because people are setting traps to kill our wildlife! However did the countryside become so beautiful and a plentiful food resource without humans and their traps!
You seem to have some compassion so why not question the necessity and humanity of what you do.
Rob, i am directly employed by arable and livestock farmers to manage the pests on farms from moles on silage ground to rabbits on wheat to rats and mice in grain stores destined for human consumption. I provide pest control in food and packaging factories and to finish it off manage various restaurants, nursing homes and obviously private residences. So basically i go from field to fork.
The countryside is not just a ramblers paradise it is a place of employment for many people not to mention a massive food producer. The countryside as we know it was largely designed for shooting and hunting. For further reading i would suggest `the countryside notebook` by Richard Soffe and Jonny Scotts `Rural Britain`.
What i say to most people is if you think its so easy then buy a farm don`t use any chemicals or control any wildlife and see how you do. There is reasons behind everything whether you like it or not this is what it takes. The RSPB control Corvids and Deer on the estates they own are they in the wrong? I don`t think so.
Hi Jon and thanks for your message. I spent much of my life in the countryside on a farm, I know the culture and belief systems in parts of the countryside community.
It is possible to go from field to fork without intentional killing being part of then journey. There are now even commercial stockless farms growing produce for people that do not kill anything or use chemicals. This is notwithstanding the tax exemptions and subsidies being supportive of large scale conventional farming methods.
“Pests” in factories or storage areas are animals that find food where people do not secure their food or are wasteful or unhygienic.
The hunting and shooting lobby protest that they have saved tthe countryside but we have lost more than half our hedgerows since the war to large scale arable farming which dominates. Some areas do better than others i grant you but shooting is not good for the planet.
It may help some ground nesting birds (such as the ones they want to shoot) but it results in the discharge of hundreds of tons of lead, pressure on the eco system through the release of millions of game birds plus the slaughter of a variety of creatures including stoats, weasels and birds of prey including even eagles.
You seem a decent chap but I would ask you to challenge some of your assumptions. If you have had a pet you will appreciate the character an animal can have. By being “wild” does not remove the charachter of an animal. All those you kill are thinking beings.
I really do understand what your saying but i think in the modern world its a very hard objective to meet. I would personally love to be back in the 50`s before hedgerows and the like were torn out but thats just not the way it is. I mostly blame successive goverments for the agricultural pratice and the forestry commision has a lot to answer for. You get better susidies for eco farming these days and putting hedgerows back in.
There are billions of people on this planet and they all need feeding. I would assume that a farm that doesn`t spray chemical or control pests would have a lower yield than a farm that did. I think that GM crops maybe the way forward as a lot will be resistant without chemical treatment but we will see.
As far as shooting goes i think it did save a lot of hedgerows at the time and it certainly does help the countryside economy it would be hard to think of what would replace it. There are obviously good and bad practices and it needs to be more sustainable but as far as threats to the fabric of the countryside go its pretty low on my list. Wind turbines and light pollution don`t get me started. No one seems to be able to prove that lead is doing any harm to anything.
As far as pests go i think i could teach you a thing or 2 from the things i have seen and i will tell you i have been in the cleanest of factories and they still get problems. Rodents are the ultimate survivor. If your house is linked by drainage to the public sewer system you are just as likely to get rats as the next man clean or not.
I have 2 dogs, 1 cat, 4 chickens and 3 pigs. I`l leave it to your imagination what will happen to the pigs come October but they are living the dream at the moment.
Jon, the current methods of agriculture plainly have not fed the billions on the planet. EU policies encouraging maximum production regardless of the cost on the environment have caused the detrimental changes to the countryside. The guaranteed price for whatever the farmer produces caused the cereal mountains. Times have moved ona little but the same methods generally prevail.
Many of the estates who supported shooting ripped up the woodland to maximise profits. In any event the shooting there is has a negligible impact on the rural economy but causes lead pollution, pressure on the local eco system, collateral slaughter of many wildlife creatures as well as the unecessary slaughter of the species being shot.
I am sure you look after your animals well. Before you slaughter your pigs please consider their dependence on you, their characteristics and capacity to feel and whether killing them because you like the taste of their flesh is the right thing to do.
Robert Roach,
Shooting estates did not rip up woodland. Fewer estates are now managed for shooting, and it is these estates where shooting was abandoned that turned to intensive farming. Shooting estates protected their habitats, and they still do.
Shooting does not damage the ecosystem in any way. It provides motive and money for conservation. Predator control benefits many species, including rare ground nesting birds such as lapwings, and also songbirds. It doesn’t just benefit game birds. Predator control doesn’t even harm predator numbers as it is CONTROL. No one is eradicating them. On a shooting estate, there is often a wide range of species, including predators. I’ve been to grouse moors with a good predator control, and I have seen loads of golden plover and lapwings. The woods in the moorland valleys were alive with birdlife.
In conservation, some killing is necessary. Even groups like the RSPB do it sometimes. Game shooting is conservation and it pays for itself, making it more viable in the long term. Shooting is a force of good for the countryside.
Since when does shooting cause pressure on the ecosystem?
One of our neighbours has recently bought one of these and now has four magpies trapped on their allotment as they have chickens. They plan to use them for fox bait- not sure why as they aren’t farmers and live in a small semi so they can’t be blighted with foxes. Anyhow the real issue is the welfare, none of the birds have food and water and are left out without shelter. Theyve been trapped in there for around four days now. The smaller of the group was looking especially quiet yesterday morning- when we came home we found the others had turned on it and it’s now being used to snack on. The owners will be aware of this as they do pop in at night to close up - I’ve just looked out our window this morning to find nothing has changed. I’m not against humane practices to care for livestock but surely this isn’t right- can anyone advise? Thank you
Jackie,
The traps are legal, but in this case, it sounds illegal, as the trap operator must provide food, water and shelter for the decoy bird.
Contact Wildlife crime officer in your area and the SSPCA as this person is breaking the law.
Hi Jackie,
Thank you for contacting us. Someone from Onekind will be in touch with you shortly.
Lyn
As a shooter and (very) occasional trapper, I have absolutely no problems, in any way, shape or form, with illegal practices being exposed, and (I would hope) prosecuted to the full force of the law. Lyn / Onekind, in the situations where illegal trapping was going on (especially the birds of prey and pine marten) did you get any feedback regards actions taken by police/other agencies ?
One point that I will have to correct you on, however, is the use of a jay as a calling/decoy bird. In accordance with the general licence, ANY corvid may be used. Please see
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/wlc-gl04_tcm6-24149.pdf
Page 2, licence conditions, section 6. Jays are specifically included as being allowed to be used. Regulations are the same in Scotland and Wales too.
I only use larsen traps to protect wild birds. I have frequently seen small songbird nests/eggs/young being trashed and killed by all manner of corvids. Larsen traps, used within the law, are an important part of conservation. Problems occur when they are used in less ...shall we say ‘honest’ ... means. My Larsen traps, when in use, are inspected at least twice a day.
Oh, and snaring. Absolutely beyond the pale, in my opinion. Should be made illegal, and anyone found to be snaring should face large, mandatory prison sentences. If they are gamekeepers, then the employers should face enormous fines too. Long prison sentences (notably, 3 years or longer, whether or not served in full) would make the person a ‘prohibited person’ for LIFE under the firearms act. Maybe we would then see people only using these traps, etc in full accordance with the law.
Response to Rob P
Thank you for your comment. As you are aware, here at OneKind we are opposed to any form of enjoyment taken from killing an animal and that would include the shooting of animals for self-gratification.
I am very pleased to hear that you are opposed to snaring which can cause incredible suffering to those animals that are caught. The documented evidence that we have accumulated makes for very sad and disturbing reading and viewing and here at Onekind, along with our supporters and friends across the UK, we are confident that a ban on these crude trapping devices will soon be history.
We did not receive feedback from those authorities who were called regarding the trapped Pine Marten or raptors. It is very difficult to prove deliberate intent in these cases, but we are aware that the deliberate persecution of both of these species continues to go on throughout Scotland.
You mention that you occasionally trap. I am presuming that this is in England? After your comments here I have to make you aware that if you were to use a Jay in Scotland as a decoy in a Larson trap then you may find yourself being prosecuted. OneKind would be interested to know where your information came from when you say that Jays can be used as decoy birds in Scotland as this is incorrect.
Many thanks again for your support against the use of snares and we ask anybody who comes across these wire traps to please contact us at ‘Snare Watch’ and report your findings.
I have to dissagree with all of you, snares are a way of finding food and should be legal for food hunting, I don’t see the point for sport but for food what is the problem (the army taught me to trap with snares)?
A good trap or snare will kill the rabbit instantly!
It’s such a shame that the UK is full of people who don’t realise that humans are meat eaters and to trap for food is as natural as it gets!
If you don’t cull animals then there are issues with disease poor gene pools etc, etc, etc.
These blogs and comments really annoy me, where do you think your food comes from….. a packet!?
I don’t trap or snare any more but I would want to teach it to my children so they can provide for themselves in the worst circumstances.
The nievity of most of these statements astounds me and I say again, where do you think your food comes from?
Why eat meat?
Researchers at Oxford University recently followed 35,000 individuals aged 20 to 89 for a period of five years and discovered that vegans are 30% more likely to break a bone than their vegetarian and flesh-eating peers. A subsequent study conducted by Sydney’s Garvan Institute for Medical Research found that vegetarians had bones 5% less dense than meat-eaters. This can be attributed to the fact that many vegetarians and vegans consume very little calcium due to the limitations of their diet.
Studies have repeatedly shown that vegetarians who fail to supplement their diets with Vitamin D, B12 and iron are prone to becoming dangerously anemic. Vegetarians also typically miss out on omega-3 fatty acids. These unsaturated acids have been proved to slow the progression of atherosclerosis, reduce triglyceride levels, act as anti-inflammatory agents, and potentially help with depression and some personality disorders.
Although vegetarians openly decry the slaughter of animals, they think nothing of tearing carrots and spuds out of the earth or of sticking a zucchini into a high-speed blender. Like it or not, plants are also living organisms that respond to stimuli like light, gravity and touch. In fact, some groups even believe plants can feel pain. Take the Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology, for instance. This Swiss group recently came out in defense of our leafy green friends in a report on “the dignity of the creature in the plant world.” They argued that plants deserve respect and that killing them arbitrarily is morally wrong
Many vegetarians argue that the cultivation of meat harms the environment. However, they fail to recognize that the cultivation of fruits and vegetables can also have dire environmental implications. Consider this: the vast majority of non-organic farms still use pesticides and insecticides that kill off just as many beneficial predators as pests, thereby leaving nature’s delicate balance in disarray. These dangerous chemicals also frequently leach into water supplies where they can cause harmful neurological effects when consumed by humans and animals alike. Speaking of water, the cultivation of vegetables requires vast amounts of it, which in turn can cause water shortages and, in extreme cases, drought. Fruit and vegetable farms also harm the environment through the burning of agricultural waste and the production of oxide emissions from nitrogen fertilizer.
While we’re on the topic of air pollution, it should be noted that vegetarians also produce more gas than meat-eaters. The problem lies in the human body’s inability to fully digest the complex carbohydrates in the vegetarian diet, resulting in higher production of gases like hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane.
You didn’t get to the top of the food chain just to eat vegetables!