Humane fox snares

[poiuytrewq]

Has anyone ever got their horse caught up in one? If so what happened?

The farm I'm on has a lovely new gamekeeper who is very keen on these horrible little wire traps. I finally got a map showing the area's the snares are set in so have been avoiding which is annoying as its ruling out a lot of my off road hacking.
A couple of nights ago i was cantering along a grass strip, one of my old regular canters left "safe" when my horses leg got snatched under him and he almost fell. When i pulled up his boot was torn and flapping round his hoof (brushing boot).
So tonight i walked the dog along the field and in about the same area a new snare has appeared which Isn't shown on my map. Now this could be co-incidence but.... I'm told that with the weight of a horse a snare would just give way and it wasn't the snare that caused my horse to almost fall.

 

[Equi]

A wire snare is NOT humane, so your title confused me. Frankly i think they are dangerous, and should be abhorred. I'm not a green hippy either, foxes need controlled, but snares are totally out of order. I would not call anyone who uses them "lovely" or keep my horse on land where the owner agrees in this method of dispatch. Also, depending on the type of the snare, it could be illegal although personally i think ALL wire snares should be illegal.

 

[AdorableAlice]

The only humane fox snare is a pack of foxhounds.

 

[Shay]

Absolutely!! A snare is indiscriminate. It catches the old and ill as well as the hale and healthy. The young and the old. There is nothing humane about snaring any species. And what happens to your snared fox? It struggles and injures itself. And then is killed anyway. Not humane. But in many places all that is left to farmers and game keepers deprived of any other means to reduce populations out of control.

Anyway - OP you probably didn't mean to start a foxhunting debate. Yes a snare can bring down a horse. They are supposed to be light wire - but a healthy fox can break light wire so they usually are not. It is probably best not to ride - or walk - in an area where snares might have been laid.

 

[suffolkmare]

I've never heard of a humane snare. Glad you and your horse weren't injured and the brushing boot took the brunt - if no boots what would his leg look like?! If you had a map and this snare hadn't been marked you've every right to spit chips. But also consider if you might find livery elsewhere with safer hacking.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

In my experience modern gamekeepers are very focussed on their own ideas, and not in the least worried about horses or anyone else. So I would probably seriously consider moving.
Shooting of foxes is very quick and relatively easy. There is no way snares should be used imho.
I would discuss this with the landowner, to give them an opportunity to see the error of their ways.

 

[popsdosh]

In my experience modern gamekeepers are very focussed on their own ideas, and not in the least worried about horses or anyone else. So I would probably seriously consider moving.
Shooting of foxes is very quick and relatively easy. There is no way snares should be used imho.
I would discuss this with the landowner, to give them an opportunity to see the error of their ways.

LOL

There are numerous reasons I would not believe that a snare caused the damage as described!

 

[fburton]

There are numerous reasons I would not believe that a snare caused the damage as described!

Care to expand? Genuinely interested.

 

[Antw23uk]

You have a map .. go find them all and sabotage them! Nothing humane about a snare, the guy is a tool!

 

[popsdosh]

Care to expand? Genuinely interested.

Has a lot to do with where snares would be set ,very,very unlikely to wrap around a leg and pull a boot off it would need to be a ridiculous height to achieve that even if the gamekeeper was so inexperienced as to set one in open countryside. In my mind more likely with something like a firmly rooted bramble or even a rabbit hole. Certainly a snare would not tear a brushing boot as described.
Dont want to get into the rights and wrongs of using them!
Cant quite understand with such a dramatic happening why the OP did not check out at that time what had happened. I know I would want to know.

 

[popsdosh]

You have a map .. go find them all and sabotage them! Nothing humane about a snare, the guy is a tool!

So you are advocating criminal damage on an open forum ,not sure who the tool is!

 

[Moobli]

I have had dogs caught in snares and - thankfully - they didn't panic and struggle so I could easily open the snare and rescue them. I would think a snare could injure a horse if it is unlucky enough to loop a foot through and then pull hard. I don't think they are humane tools either.

Could you speak to the gamekeeper and find out whether it was his and politely ask if he let you know exactly where ALL his snares are to avoid another potentially nasty incident with your horse.

 

[Antw23uk]

So you are advocating criminal damage on an open forum ,not sure who the tool is!

Yes I am, you got a problem with that, then jog on!

 

[popsdosh]

Yes I am, you got a problem with that, then jog on!

Yep i have LOL

 

[poiuytrewq]

Ok, so yes I should have gone back and looked at the time but I thought he had somehow tripped on his boot or what... I'm not sure it was quick, he saved himself and we carried on. I walked the dog expecting to find a hole I could fill or something.

My word "lovely" was very sarcastic I don't think he's lovely at all, he's ruined my riding and my dog walking. Injured one of our dogs who did panic (my fault as that one was mapped I just missed it)
I think he's an ar**hole and I hate the snares and think they are disgusting and completely inhumane but that's the name of this particular type of thing so I used it.

 

[Foxy O]

I thought the only humane fox traps were the Larson trap. We use one and it's great because if a cat goes in to eat the bacon (next doors cat loves this) we can just let it out safely. It is also massive so you wouldn't miss it.

 

[fburton]

Would it be okay to 'sabotage' any snare that didn't conform to legal requirements?

 

[fburton]

There are legal snares and illegal snares. Legal ones may be less inhumane, but surely calling the legal ones 'humane' is just weasel words??

 

[Moobli]

Would it be okay to 'sabotage' any snare that didn't conform to legal requirements?

I think the RSPCA/SSPCA would be interested in any illegally set snares.

This information should help determine whether it is a legally set snare or not.

Legislation for England and Wales has not been revised recently, but it does provide that snares must be inspected every day and must not be set in a manner calculated to cause bodily injury to any wild animal coming into contact with them.

Scotland has the most detailed and comprehensive legislation on snaring in the UK. As of April 2010, all snares must be have a stop on them, so that the noose cannot close to a circumference less than 23 centimetres for a fox snare, or 13 centimetres for any other animal. Snares must be fixed to the ground meaning that so-called drag snares, where the snare is attached to a heavy object that the animal can pull away from its original position, are prohibited.

Snares must not be set where the animal is likely to become suspended (for example, by jumping over an adjacent fence and being left to hang there), or close to water where it is likely to drown. Each snare must carry a tag bearing an identification number allocated to its owner – who must be trained in order to receive the number – and if it is set to capture brown hares, rabbits or foxes, this must also be stated on the tag.

Anyone setting a snare in Scotland must inspect it (or cause it to be inspected), at least once every day at intervals of no more than 24 hours to see whether an animal is caught in it and to ensure that it is free-running. Any captured animal must be released or removed, regardless of whether it is alive or dead. Snares may only be set with the landowner’s or occupier’s permission.

These provisions were re-stated in s.13 of the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 (the WANE Act), along with provisions for user training and requirements for identification tags on snares set for foxes, rabbits or brown hares.

The Snares (Training) (Scotland) (No 2) Order 2012, allows gamekeeping industry bodies and four Scottish colleges to deliver training on the use of snares in Scotland, and the Snares (Identification Numbers and Tags) (Scotland) Order 2012 requires snare users to have approved accreditation and received a personal identification number from the Police.

This means that it is illegal in Scotland to set any snare without an ID number after 1st April 2013.

 

[fburton]

Thanks for that, WGSD. The info you quoted for England and Wales is a bit sketchy. It would be useful to get a more detailed spec, like that for Scotland.

 

[Antw23uk]

I think the RSPCA/SSPCA would be interested in any illegally set snares.

This information should help determine whether it is a legally set snare or not.

Legislation for England and Wales has not been revised recently, but it does provide that snares must be inspected every day and must not be set in a manner calculated to cause bodily injury to any wild animal coming into contact with them.

.

Now I'm confused. I thought the whole point of a snare WAS to cause bodily injury to a wild animal coming into contact with it!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Sadly I have done my research. These are all very correct and legal. Tbh it's also part of a conservation project (I know that sounds backward!) they are a terribly correct careful business. I wondered if I could find a loophole to get them removed but no.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Has a lot to do with where snares would be set ,very,very unlikely to wrap around a leg and pull a boot off it would need to be a ridiculous height to achieve that even if the gamekeeper was so inexperienced as to set one in open countryside. In my mind more likely with something like a firmly rooted bramble or even a rabbit hole. Certainly a snare would not tear a brushing boot as described.
Dont want to get into the rights and wrongs of using them!
Cant quite understand with such a dramatic happening why the OP did not check out at that time what had happened. I know I would want to know.

This is what I wanted to know. If it was likely to have caused it. So if not I won't go kicking up any more fuss.
If it was likely then I want them to take me seriously and keep telling me when new ones are added that's all.

 

[Casey76]

There are no such things as humane snares. There must be a better way of controlling the fox population, surely!

 

[popsdosh]

This is what I wanted to know. If it was likely to have caused it. So if not I won't go kicking up any more fuss.
If it was likely then I want them to take me seriously and keep telling me when new ones are added that's all.

If you wish to pm me I would explain more about how they should be set and where which may help . They are indeed used widely on environmental projects especially where other options dont work so well. Its not just game birds that need protecting from fox predation.

 

[fburton]

If there is any chance of ridden horses disturbing a snare, would it be worthwhile placing a small warning sign or marker nearby?

 

[pennyturner]

I have personally seen snares set by our local gamekeeper in the middle of a bridle path! I've also had a dog caught in one, and yes, it could easily cause the damage described.

 

[Clodagh]

Now I'm confused. I thought the whole point of a snare WAS to cause bodily injury to a wild animal coming into contact with it!

It isn't. It is to restain the animal without harming it until the keeper checks the snare and either shoots the animal (if it is a fox) or lets it go (if it is a non quarry species).

 

[poiuytrewq]

If there is any chance of ridden horses disturbing a snare, would it be worthwhile placing a small warning sign or marker nearby?

No it's private land so that's not a worry (other than me of course!!)

 

[fburton]

It is to restain the animal without harming it...

Obviously this doesn't include mental harm! (Debatable whether that is even possible.)