Bill Description:
This bill would ban the import, export, and interstate commerce of steel-jaw leghold and Conibear traps, including any modified versions of those devices. This bill would additionally prohibit the buying or selling of any leghold or Conibear trap that was illegally imported, exported, or shipped across state lines.[teaserbreak]
Background:
Both steel-jaw leghold and Conibear traps are barbaric, cruel, and indiscriminate. When triggered, they slam shut with bone-crushing force on any victim unfortunate enough to encounter it, including endangered species, pets, and even children. Once caught, animals suffer immensely from injury, trauma, and stress, and ultimately die an excruciating death. Many even gnaw off their own limb in a desperate attempt to escape, often dying of a painful infection days later. And yet, horrifically, leghold and Conibear traps are the two used most often in the U.S. trapping industry: according to 2015 data, nearly 90% of all trappers use either or both of these dangerous devices.
The Public Safety and Wildlife Protection Act was inspired by a 2015 trapping incident in North Carolina, where a boy playing by a neighborhood pond got his arm caught in a Conibear trap. It took a team of six doctors several hours to free him from its painful grip. Although leghold and Conibear traps are legal to use in North Carolina, many states have either severely limited or outright banned their use. While the Public Safety and Wildlife Protection Act would not interfere with any state’s existing regulations on trapping, it would significantly limit the further spread of these traps, and prevent them from crossing state lines, especially into states with preexisting bans or strong restrictions.
Take Action:
Contact your U.S. representative and urge him or her to support this bill!
Read the full text and follow its progress here.