Search Trapping Incidents Database

An otter got caught in a body grip trap left for other wildlife set in a body of water. The otter died as a result. (Seizure Tag A67732).

A couple of kids were hiking with their dog near the Metacomet Trail when the dog went close to the water, stuck her nose in a box to smell it, and got caught in a Conibear trap. Other traps nearby were just lying in the water. The 17-year-old boy managed to get Rosie out of the trap with the help of a cousin to pull the trap apart, but it was too late. The incident was reported to Fish & Game. In the past the same trapper has killed beavers and blue heron, and all local wildlife is gone; Rosie’s caregiver complained last year but got nowhere. It is not yet known if the trap owner was in violation of local permits.

Out hunting rabbits just south of Thompson Creek on public hunting land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a deputy Salina police chief heard his dog yelp. “At first, I thought she was in a fight,” he said. But Bella was caught in the rectangular steel jaws of a conibear trap. He struggled frantically to free her. “I had read how to get them off. I’m afraid all my efforts did was prolong the agony of her death,” he said. “It was incredibly devastating.” Bella became weaker, and then fell unconscious. Within six minutes, she was gone. The trap was set in a plastic bucket to entice the curiosity of a raccoon, coyote or bobcat. When an animal sticks its head in the bucket, the trap is tripped. So it was that Bella, curious as she patrolled for rabbits, was captured by the powerful jaws. The trap was legal.

A pet dog got caught in a body grip trap left for wildlife set over near frozen body of water. The dog died as a result.

25 feet off a plowed access road (owned by the Alaska Railroad) in a popular dog-walking area near residences, the trap was chained to a tree. When the dog was caught in the trap, she screamed and writhed. Her caregiver writes: “I figured out a way to detach the trap from the tree it was chained to. We got our dog to the car still in the trap [and] drove her to a trapper’s house who cut the conibear off her head with a pneumatic power saw.” Luckily, after 90 minutes in the trap Kisses survived, losing only a couple of broken teeth. The incident was reported to and Alaaka State Wildlife Trooper and an Alaska Railroad Safety officer. The owner of the trap was not found.

A bill before the Nebraska state legislature earned a uniquely qualified witness when a Lancaster County Commissioner stepped into a Conibear trap placed in a ditch near his farm. He was wearing good boots and wasn’t seriously hurt. But the trap was large enough to catch a coyote or a beaver — even a farmer — and the commissioner couldn’t open it with his hands. So he hobbled to his truck for a crowbar. He reported the incident to the state Game and Parks Commission. The trap’s owner could not be traced because the trap did not have an ID number. The commissioner, of course, testified against the bill, which sought to eliminate restrictions and penalties for trapping wildlife in county road rights-of-way. (The ban went into effect on 05/05/09: Lincoln Journal Star, 05/05/09)

A local woman’s dog was caught in a leghold trap about 90 feet off a popular trail. Although warning signs were posted, the woman ignored them or did not see them. The dog suffered bruising but no lasting damage to the foot. The woman has been served with a violation for taking the trap and plans to take it to court, but the charge will likely be dropped because it would bring unwelcome publicity. The trap was legal, the trapper reported to be a 20-year-old local boy.

A springer spaniel hunting dog got caught in a cable restraint trap left for wildlife set approximately 10 feet off trail. The dog was released with no apparent injury.

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.