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Trapping Incident #19

Reported:
01/16/2009
Location:
Malcolm, NE - USA
Species:
Human
Trap Type:
Kill-type
Incident Date:
12/26/2008
Victim's Disposition:
unknown
Victim's Name:
Legal Action:
Yes

Summary:

A bill before the Nebraska state legislature earned a uniquely qualified witness when a Lancaster County Commissioner stepped into a Conibear trap placed in a ditch near his farm. He was wearing good boots and wasn’t seriously hurt. But the trap was large enough to catch a coyote or a beaver — even a farmer — and the commissioner couldn’t open it with his hands. So he hobbled to his truck for a crowbar. He reported the incident to the state Game and Parks Commission. The trap’s owner could not be traced because the trap did not have an ID number. The commissioner, of course, testified against the bill, which sought to eliminate restrictions and penalties for trapping wildlife in county road rights-of-way. (The ban went into effect on 05/05/09: Lincoln Journal Star, 05/05/09)

Result:

Ban on trapping wildlife in county road rights of way