Search Trapping Incidents Database

A dachshund was caught in a steel-jaw leghold trap before being released. The trap was on private property, within a hundred feet of roughly ten dwellings, in a Historical District on Grand Street, a residential section of the city where many children and pets live. No neighbors were notified about the trap, nor was information about the trap posted. The trap was not tagged with identification. In a stroke of irony, the trap was set by the dachshund’s guardians, took custody of the dog and never gave feedback. It was reported that the individuals responsible for the trapping were within their legal rights.

A man took his dog, Rosie, out for a hike in the Goat River area, an old logging site north of Kitchener, when Rosie stumbled into a leghold trap. The trap, with its tension set to hold a much larger wolf, snapped shut, crushing the dog’s leg. The pain-wracked animal then stepped into another trap, which crushed another leg. Unable to pry either of the traps open, even aided by the adrenaline rush brought on by his companion’s frantic response to the pain, the man unwound the attached chains from clumps of bushes and carried Rosie to his vehicle. The dog sunk its teeth into both of his hands on the way. When he arrived at the veterinary clinic his worst fears were confirmed – the legs were so badly damaged that the only compassionate recourse was to have Rosie euthanized. Even the veterinarian couldn’t get the traps completely open. The traps had been set as a Ministry of Environment initiative to save the small – there are only 15 left – herd of mountain caribou. A trapper had set “up to a half dozen traps” in the area. A pack of three or four wolves was his target. The traps were all removed immediately after reports were received, and ministry personnel are reassessing the situation. One wolf from the single known pack in the area was trapped and killed before Rosie’s tragic death.

Peanut was caught in a trap meant for skunks. Although the backyard was surrounded by a 6-foot fence, Peanut managed to get in and was caught by the unbaited trap. The nuisance wildlife control operator (NWCO) hired to remove the skunks was convicted of animal cruelty and order to pay a fine of $393. The NWCO initially apologized for the accidental killing to Peanut’s caregivers, and returned Peanut’s remains to them. The NWCO later wrote, “I was mailed a ticket from the city of Topeka. The city’s position is that since I intended to kill the skunk, the death of Peanut was intentional as well.”

Several dogs were being walked on the Eagle River Trail in Juneau as part of a Doggie Day Care outing. Bubba, who was in the care of the Gastineau Humane Society, and another dog went missing initially during a game of fetch. One came back when called, but Bubba didn’t respond. The dog was found the next day right off the trail in a conibear trap.

When Castor disappeared Wednesday evening, his caregiver and others tracked the meowing cat to the backyard of a nearby home. They found Castor seriously injured in a Conibear trap, caught by the belly. were no fractures but there were extensive internal injuries to the organs. After nearly a week in intensive care at the veterinary clinic, Castor was put to sleep on 04/27/08. His caregivers intend to sue the trap owner for Castor’s medical expenses of almost $3,300. The cat died a few days after being taken to a veterinary clinic for treatment. The man was later charged with animal cruelty. An animal protection officer said, “Our constable reported to a cat in a conibear trap last year in the same block. The cat survived.”

A woman hiker looking for Native American artifacts found a dog caught in a coyote trap. The dog had been there about a day, caught by the left front leg. She freed the dog from the trap and then spent a week and a half trying to track down the dog’s family. The dog wasn’t wearing a collar, and no one responded to fliers and newspaper ads. Meanwhile, the vets taking care of the dog, now named Ava, thought she would need to lose the injured leg. The woman was not in a position to care for Ava long-term. When it became obvious that nobody would claim Ava, she was taken to Best Friends Animal Society of Kanab, UT, to heal and for later adoption.

A dog was found caught in a trap by the local Animal Control warden on 04/07/08. The dog had been in the trap about two weeks, and apparenlty had tried to chew off her left rear leg to get free. Photos at the pound where she was taken show her leg hanging by just a couple of bones. She was extremely emaciated, dehydrated, with a low heart rate. Surgery was scheduled for the same day to remove her leg at the hip.

A feral cat with a leghold trap on his front paw wandered into a woman’s yard. The cat wandered off before an SPCA responder arrived to take care of the animal. The woman’s only recourse was to use a humane cat trap and return the cat to the SPCA for euthanasia. Since the cat wandered off, presumably it “die[d] a slow agonizing death.”

A family was surprised to see their cat Lenny coming home caught in a leghold trap and dragging a large wooden stake. The jaws of the trap were clamped firmly around the abdomen of their cat, who was in obvious pain and gasping for air. A veterinarian removed the trap and within a few days Lenny was back to normal. The family said they’re still upset and angry, and wonder who could have put out such a dangerous device in a neighborhood where numerous children and pets run around. The trap is now with the Saskatoon SPCA, which is investigating the incident.

A dog was found in an old warehouse off north Union near Interstate 70 in north St. Louis. A woman called Stray Rescue after some coworkers spotted the injured dog limping. The pregnant dog, named Sahara by the rescue worker, was sedated and the trap removed from her leg. X-rays revealed that there were no broken bones, but Sahara had also been shot. Stray Rescue is now offering a reward to find out who may be responsible for mistreating the animal.