Bill To Legalize Snare Traps Passes
Monday, March 31st, 2008ByTodd De Haven
I am disheartened to report that the Bill authorizing the legalization of snare traps has been passed by the State Legislature and by an overwhelming margin. All of us who love animals, are deeply indebted to Representative Eddie Yokely for going against the tide and voting his conscience.
On my part, I had understood that any person in Tennessee could set even a snare trap on their own property. I was wrong. Only by the passage of this legislation will it now be legal to set a snare trap on one’s own property or for someone to do so for them. But there is a way that such a law could have been modified to dovetail with the law governing Dyer County.
For those who missed my letter to the editor last week, the law was sponsored by Senator Steve Southerland as a result of complaints his office had received from pet owners whose “cats and poodles” had been killed by coyotes. What I and many others found most interesting was that while it could well have occurred, I have yet to hear of one confirmed report in Greene County that a pet had been killed by a coyote. If the problem is so severe in other parts of Senator Southerland’s district as to warrant such drastic action, how come even if it has happened, it certainly is not a problem here? Why does it not surprise me that the Tennessee Trappers Association was a big sponsor of this bill? Do you suppose someone might profit from setting cable snares? Is it possible that someone’s pet could be caught in such a snare? The short answer is, “yes.”
For the uninformed, snare traps are, as are any other form of leg hold trap, extremely cruel. This is especially true when one learns that the law requires all such traps to be checked only once every 36 hours. Can you imagine even a wild animal such as a coyote (or even a family pet), frightened half to death, trying to free itself from one of these traps for up to 36 hours? What if the animal becomes ensnared around it’s neck? The biggest kicker is just how, with its current manpower levels, will the TWRA ever be able to realistically enforce the 36 hour rule?
Although I’ve heard that the excuse for passing the law was to equalize the situation between East Tennessee and the rest of the state wherein such traps are legal, then why is there an exception for Dyer County? In Dyer county only the landowner themselves can set the cable snare. Now while we’re totally against any form of leg hold trap, I personally say that a on his/her own property, the landowner him or herself has the right to control predators, within of course the confines of the law. As it stands now, with an owners permission, anyone will be able to come onto the property and set snare traps. Could such landowner maybe be convinced by some “interested party” that he/she may have a problem that actually doesn’t really exist but that the “interested party” would be pleased to cure? I don’t know. You tell me? Oh, and finally, there is no effective means yet proven to control the coyote population and isn’t that the stated purpose of the legislation? Hmmm……….
We are now formally announcing that our nine week canine obedience training program will commence with Registration on Saturday, April 5. Our own unparalleled canine instructors, Carol “Granny” Wainwright and Wade GeFellers are donating their time and talent to this effort and the entire course fee of $100 is going to our animals. This fee is hundreds of dollars below what such courses normally cost. We seriously urge those who are interested to call Carol at 342-4254.