An animal rescue organization is calling for a ban on leg-hold traps after a coyote was caught for days, tried to chew off his own leg and later died in Abbotsford.
The Critter Care Wildlife Society got a call from a couple who had found a coyote in blueberry bushes Saturday.
“So we went out to go and get him. He was stuck, his left leg was caught in a large leg-hold trap. It was quite a big trap – the size of a bear leg-hold trap,” said animal care supervisor Pia Wegmueller.
The coyote’s leg was bloody and mangled, and Wegmueller said he had tried to chew off his own leg in order to free himself.
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Although it’s hard to tell how long the coyote was trapped, Wegmueller said judging by his condition, it may have been up to five days.
CCWS is advocating for an end to the use of leg-hold traps, which they say cause needless suffering to animals. The traps are currently legal in B.C. and are used by people who are either interested in fur, or to remove problem animals.
“When animals are trapped they can still somewhat get away, and it’s very painful. They die a horrible, slow death, because when they chew off their leg they will eventually die of the infection and that’s a very hard and slow process,” Wegmueller said.
Wegmueller said there are more humane, painless ways to trap a problem animal if one has to be removed.
The coyote was euthanized shortly after being found, something Wegmueller said is all too common.
“We had about 10 animals in 2012 that were caught in a leg-hold trap. They were raccoons and skunks and all had to be put down,” Wegmueller said.
“We should ban those traps – it’s a horrible thing for the animals to be trapped in that. It’s very, very painful for them.”
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