Bill Description:
The LIFT for Public Safety Act would ban personnel under the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using any lethal or injurious traps in the performance of their duty. It would also ban trapping on lands managed by DOI and USDA. The bill includes limited exceptions for endangered species protection, invasive species control, and on certain lands, but requires non-lethal methods to be tried and documented first.[teaserbreak]
Background:
Approximately 4 million wild animals in the U.S. are trapped and killed for their fur every year, and that figure doesn’t include the countless pets and other wild animals trapped and killed as “non-target” catches or for ‘wildlife management’ purposes. USDA Wildlife Services—a federal agency notorious for killing wildlife using inhumane methods—routinely kills between 2-5 million animals a year. In 2015, Wildlife Services killed 3.2 million animals in the U.S., more than 54,000 of whom first suffered in a crushing or strangling trap. Other federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, also employ lethal and injurious traps, often without first attempting or requiring non-lethal—and often more effective—management options first.
Additionally, wild animals and pets visiting with their families should not become victims to trapping on federal public land: land set aside both for the preservation and conservation of our wildlife. These lands—including our national forests, parks, and wildlife refuges—should be available for everyone to safely experience, not just one small interest group that comprises less than 1/6 of 1/10 of the US population (0.055%). By banning traps on all lands managed by the DOI and USDA, the LIFT for Public Safety Act, would make nearly 700 million acres of land free from cruel, indiscriminate traps.
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