Search Trapping Incidents Database

Taking PeeWee for a walk in the patch of woods behind his house, he found her lying next to the river by the trees. The trap was around her neck and she died while he was trying to release it. The trap was set for a raccoon, set on its side on the pathway and held up with two sticks.

On a state game land, where Browning’s caregivers frequently walk him and sightsee with their two daughters (ages 2 and 4). Browning was in the trap for about 10 minutes before being rescued. “He can hardly walk on it today from it being so sore and swollen,” writes his caregiver, who adamantly opposes traps. “This is my second pet to fall victim to a trap,” she adds. “Unfortunately, my cat was not as lucky, and after five days and two chewed-off hind legs, she was able to crawl home to us, only to have to be euthanized immediately. She fell victim to an illegal trap on my grandmother’s posted land.”

A steel hunting trap meant for a fox, set next to the Metro’s Redline rails (by New York Avenue) near the Brentwood Postal Facility in Northeast DC ensnared Trapper, crushing his front leg.

Smoki was caught for several hours in a neighbor’s leghold trap (the second time a cat in this neigborhood has been caught in this neighbors trap). In addition to injuries severe enough to warrant amputation of a hind leg, had a broken jaw, which the veterinarian wired for 3 weeks. Cost: $400–$500. Authorities said the neighbor “had every right” to have this trap on his property.

A woman found the cat on her porch. She called Feline Friends, a nonprofit cat and kitten rescue group, who told her to take the cat to the South Bay Veterinary Hospital. The cat’s tail was dangling by a thin piece of skin. A bloody stump was all that was left of his right hind paw. “His foot was pretty much gone,” said the veterinarian who operated on the kitten. “It was traumatized beyond belief.” The kitten is resilient and bounced back in little over a week. “He’s doing great,” the veterinarian said. “We let him out in the clinic when it’s slow, and he moves around. He’s eating great and trying to jump on stuff. He’s being very playful and affectionate.”

A woman found the cat caught in the trap inside the engine compartment of her car while parked at a local Albertson’s supermarket. It’s unknown whether the cat made the trip with her or whether he crawled inside the compartment while she was at the store. She called animal control, and an officer came to rescue the injured feline. “The trap itself crushed all of the bones in the cat’s leg and have probably done permanent nerve damage. These traps are extremely strong and on a small leg of a cat, they do immeasurable damage,” said a spokeswoman with the Idaho Humane Society. Humane Society officials say if his broken leg worsens, they may have to amputate it. Authorities have offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who set the illegal steel leghold trap. They are also looking for the cat’s owner.

A local reporter found her cat, Kitty, mewling outside her open apartment window. The bone of his front leg were visible through broken and bleeding skin. Horrified, she brought him inside, where he dragged his way across the kitchen floor, trailing blood from his limp paw. “It looked really alien,” she said. “He was bleeding everywhere.” When she took Kitty to the vet the next morning, she was told the animal’s wounds did not seem to be have been caused by an animal attack or a car accident. There were no teeth marks or crushed bones, and the cat was otherwise uninjured. The vet told her the fracture and missing skin were consistent with those of a cat trying desperately to free itself from a wire snare. Unfortunately, the wounds were also too severe to save the cat’s leg. It would have to be amputated, at a cost of more than $500.

Max was caught in a trap somewhere near creek that runs through his caregiver’s backyard. She “discovered yesterday that traps have been washing onto my property for years after floods. The trapper was in my field on the day of the incident looking for lost traps after finding out about my dog’s injuries. Our last flood was several weeks ago, so the trapper is obviously not checking his traps daily as required by law.” The caregiver says she will will pursue charges and seek compensation for Max’s vet expenses. She writes, “The incident is very fresh, so I’m spending all of my time taking care of Max and cleaning him up. I’m still somewhat in shock.”

The incident took place on the edge of an old logging road used as popular hiking trail, in the West Virginia University research forest, which is land leased long-term from Coopers Rock State Forest. Leo’s caregiver reports, “It was not feasible for me to remove the trap alone because the dog was in a frenzy and trying to bite. After running one mile round-trip to retrieve tools from my vehicle I managed to dig up the rebar stake holding the trap to the ground. Then I used a cell phone to call friends. I spent approximately 1 hour on the ground restraining and calming the dog while waiting for help. The trap was illegal because it had no identification on it. WV law states, vaguely, that traps can’t be ‘in human or livestock trails’. This trap was right on the edge of the trail. I notified the local newspaper and although I spoke with a reporter in person and followed up by phone with more information, no story was published to my knowledge. I know the newspaper reporter went as far as contacting the WV Division of Natural Resources because the conservation officer I spoke to mentioned it.” The veterinarian treating Leo prescribed 10 days cephalexin for the infection. The caregiver further reports, “A week or more before this incident, a West Virginia University student was cited and fined for placing traps illegally (directly on trails)in the area. The WVDNR officer I spoke with said that they could not prove who set the trap that injured Leo.”

In the woods an elderly hunter found the cat dead in a trap. The man said the wounds were so severe he could not tell his wife lest it upset her.