Traps: The cruelty

All over the UK, certain types of traps can be legally used to catch and kill a range of animals and birds. These traps are used mainly by gamekeepers on commercial 'game' bird shooting estates to reduce the number of birds caught by foxes and other predators.

In 2024, under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act, it became an offence to use a snare to trap a wild animal, or in any way that is likely to injure a wild animal.

But the Scottish countryside is still a long way from being a safe haven where our wildlife can thrive. There is still widescale suffering endured by animals in various types of legal traps which are still being used on shooting estates.

Multi-catch trap with protected bird of prey

Although traps are set for specific targeted species, they can be indiscriminate, with ‘non-target' animals becoming victims. Non-targeted and protected species can also be accidentally caught, and there are records of species as diverse as wildcats, badgers, pine martens and protected birds of prey being caught and killed in these traps. And, just like snares, they can inflict incredible mental and physical suffering on the animals caught in them.

In some cases, dependent young may be left alone when a parent is trapped, which almost inevitably leads to prolonged deaths through dehydration and/or starvation.

We would like photos, videos and information as to the location of traps being used in the countryside but please do not interfere with any traps. The Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) 2024 makes it illegal to tamper, disarm or destroy a trap, without reasonable excuse.

Types of traps used

The two main types of traps used in the countryside are spring traps and cage traps.

Spring traps

Spring traps are similar in action to the familiar mouse traps, though much larger and more powerful. There are a range of designs, and they are usually used to target stoats, weasels, rats and squirrels. They are either baited with food or placed on routes likely to be used by these animals, frequently on logs across streams.

Upon catching an animal, they spring shut with enough force to hold, crush and kill the trapped animal. There are various designs and brand names. Older designs such as Fenn traps frequently catch the animal on the wrong part of their body, or catch non-targeted species, leading to suffering, sometimes prolonged and severe. The newer designs, more commonly in use now, are supposed to avoid these issues and kill instantly, but whether that is the case in practice is uncertain.

Regulated spring traps

Details of the law and how traps are regulated are here. Below we have described few of the most common traps. 

DOC traps

A family of spring traps approved for use in killing grey squirrels, rats, stoats and weasels. These traps must be placed in a tunnel and there are very precise instructions on how to set them in a way that complies with the law.

Tully traps

These are permitted for killing stoats, weasels and rats (and grey squirrels when fitted with appropriate baffles). As with DOC traps, this trap is another Fenn type trap replacement.

Fenn traps

At one time the most popular spring trap used by gamekeepers. Gamekeepers have also been known to place Fenn traps on a fence post to kill birds of prey; this is known as a pole trap and is illegal.

Unregulated spring traps

Traps for rats, mice and moles are completely unregulated. Mole traps are especially likely to be inhumane. The scissor style mole trap is just one type of mole trap used by farmers. It is often seen with the handles sticking out of the ground.

Illegal spring traps

Gin Traps are mechanical devices designed to catch an animal by the leg using spring operated jaws either with or without a serrated edge or teeth. They have been illegal in the England since 1958 and Scotland since 1973.

Cage traps

Cage traps come in various shapes and sizes and are used to target birds and mammals.

There are obvious welfare concerns about the psychological effects of sudden capture on wild animals, and, in the case of corvid traps, of being in close confinement with other territorial individuals. Animals and birds can also be injured when entering the traps or when trying to escape and can suffer from hunger, thirst, exposure and predation while in the trap. Finally, the manner of death for these animals will depend on the skill and inclination of the operator and may not always be humane. 

Details of the law and how traps are regulated

Mammal cage trap

These are various types and sizes of traps designed to catch foxes, grey squirrels, rabbits, mink and feral cats. Most are a simple wire cage. Bait is used to entice the animal to enter. The traps have a step-plate on the floor which triggers the door to close. Some have an additional sliding door at the other end to make it easier to remove the animal.

Trapped animals may be either released or killed. Non-targeted species must be released unharmed. It is illegal to re-release ‘non-native’ species, such as mink or grey squirrel, so they must be killed. Otherwise, it is at the operator’s discretion. Animals are usually shot with a high-powered air rifle with the muzzle directly against the head of the animal.

Drop traps

A drop trap consists of a tunnel covering a trapdoor through which the rabbit falls into a box which is buried underground. The door is operated by a counterbalance and closes again, allowing multiple rabbits to be caught. The rabbits will remain in the box until killed by the operator who checks the traps. This is usually done by bludgeoning or wringing the neck.

Farmers are the primary users of drop traps, as rabbits can cause damage to crops. Forestry owners may use them to prevent damage to saplings. They are also sometimes used in caravan parks, golf courses and estates. Drop trap use appears to be in decline, however abandoned drop traps are still sometimes found, which trap a broad range of animals, including small mammals, such as hedgehogs, and amphibians, such as frogs, toads, and newts.

Bird cage traps (also known as corvid traps)

These are mostly used by shooting estates who perceive crows and magpies as a threat to grouse, partridge and pheasants, by predating eggs and chicks.

Larsen traps

These are primarily used to trap birds of the crow family (Corvids). They are small, portable wire cages with two or more compartments. The first compartment is for a live ‘decoy’ or ‘call’ bird, also a corvid who has been caught and kept for that purpose. The other compartments are the trap.

Corvids are territorial and they will investigate and challenge an intruder, the ‘decoy’ bird, to gain access to the food. The bird enters through a door in the top, or less commonly the side, of the trap. A false perch gives way, causing the bird to fall to the bottom and triggering a spring door to close. The operator will kill any birds found in the trap, usually by hitting their head against the side of the trap, or by hitting them over the head.

Larsen Mate traps (clam traps)

These are wire traps, placed on the ground, which hinge along the bottom and open like a shell. They are held open by a false perch which gives way when the bird lands on it, causing the bird to fall in and the trap to spring shut. Bait inside the trap lures the birds in.

Multi-catch trap (ladder or funnel trap)

Multi-catch cage traps are also primarily used to trap corvids. They are much bigger, usually big enough for the operator to enter. They are built of wire mesh with a wooden frame. As the name implies, they can be used to trap multiple birds at once. They are also set up with a live ‘decoy’ bird and food inside as a lure. The birds enter through either a funnel or the horizontal slats of a ladder in the roof. Both are designed to be easy for the birds to enter, but impossible for them to exit. The hole is narrower than their wingspan so birds cannot fly out, and adjoining parts of the structure are designed to prevent a trapped bird from climbing out.

Birds are held inside the trap until the cage is checked. The operator who checks the trap will kill all birds inside apart from the ‘decoy’ bird, usually by bludgeoning or striking against a hard surface. When there are a lot of birds trapped this killing can take a significant amount of time, and inevitably causes the birds to suffer. 

Work towards a ban

Many animals have died from horrific injuries caused by traps; rabbits, squirrels, stoats, weasels, multiple small mammals and a variety of birds are victims of these lethal contraptions.

OneKind believes the use of most of these traps should be illegal across the UK and we will continue to work until a full ban is in place. (There are limited scenarios in which the use of cage traps is for the animal’s own welfare or benefit, which we do not oppose.) Through TrapWatch, we will gather reports of animals being caught in traps and use these as evidence of the horrific cruelty inflicted on any creature caught in them.

We are grateful for your support and any reports we receive. Please remember though that via the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) 2024 Act anyone, without reasonable excuse, who tampers with a trap or disarms or destroys a trap could be committing a crime. Please take only photos and record location information.