Reading the Washington Post on January 19, 2023, I came across an article I couldn’t ignore titled “Bears were mysteriously missing toes. These scientists cracked the case” by Dino Grandoni.
A scientist in Canada noticed that bears were missing toes. Investigation found that the severed toes were straight cuts, indicating that they weren’t caused by a fight; rather, traps were the culprits. Traps intended for other animals. It is quite common that leghold and body-crushing kill traps catch an unintended victim, lured by the bait. While the bears aren’t killed by the traps, they often are maimed for life. The picture accompanying the article included an x-rayed bear paw with three toes severed. What does that do to the survival of that bear? How well can it dig for food or defend itself minus those toes?
Looking closer to home, we see other harm done by trapping. During the last four months, two dogs have been killed when caught in traps set for wildlife. They, like so many domestic and wild animals, are innocent victims of a “tradition” whose time has passed.
Today, trapping is sport, not survival—and a very inhumane sport at that. Traps on land are checked once a day, those in water once every three days. Think of how slowly those minutes tick by if you are the one confined by that trap. Your release occurs by being bludgeoned, drowned, or another gruesome process to end your life.
These animals have done nothing to deserve this horrific death or maiming. Some of them chew their foot/leg off to escape. Others are seen dragging a trap. Infection will set in, the limb may rot off, and many will die a miserable death because of a trap encounter.
It is time to stop this cruel and unnecessary killing of animals. Trying to communicate with the Fish & Wildlife Board or Department is fruitless, as their goal is to provide more opportunities to sell licenses for revenue. Sadly, they do not follow the science.
Our only hope to end this animal torture is through legislation in Montpelier. It is anticipated that within days at least one bill will be introduced in the House to ban certain forms of trapping. To understand how a bill becomes law (or not), all bills are first assigned to a committee relevant to the topic to review (Natural Resources, Fish & Wildlife/Energy & Environment, in this instance). There is no guarantee that the proposed bill will ever come out of the committee. Many bills sit in the committee for the two years of the biennium and then die. We cannot let that happen. Please write to the members of the committee and ask them to move the bill forward. Write to your local representative(s) (Stephanie Jerome for Brandon, Butch Shaw for Sudbury and Pittsford). They may tell you ‘the bill is in the committee’ and ‘I can’t do anything until it is on the floor’. Yes they can. They see their fellow legislators on a very regular basis under the Dome. Tell them how you feel about trapping and that you want them to reach out to the committee members, as well as fellow legislators, to encourage action on the bill to move it to a vote on the floor.
Three quarters of Vermonters oppose trapping (VT Center for Rural Studies at UVM, 2017). It is time that Vermont’s legislation reflects the desires of the majority of its citizens. For more information, visit www.ProtectOurWildlifeVT.org.
Mei Mei Brown
Brandon
