Update: This bill failed to pass.
Bill Description: If passed, this bill would expand the use of cruel snares. Under existing law, the use of snares is subject to multiple restrictions, and they are prohibited in certain parts of the state. This legislation would expand the use of snares statewide. Snares generally are made of a light wire cable looped through a locking device, and are designed to tighten around the neck or other body part as the snared animal struggles.
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Snares are not species-selective. Instead, they sometimes catch and kill non-target animals, including family cats and dogs, and even threatened or endangered species. If not killed by such cruel devices, captured animals can suffer severe physical injury, dehydration, exposure to severe weather, and predation by other animals. Moreover, snaring in water and under ice involves the deliberate drowning of animals, which the American Veterinary Medical Association asserts is an unacceptable form of euthanasia. Snares frequently have to be replaced after each capture due to twisting and strain on the snare cable that results from animals struggling to free themselves. Effective alternatives to the use of snares exist. Instead of expanding the use of snares, these alternatives should be utilized in the state of Tennessee.