Search Trapping Incidents Database

Las Vegas, NV – Bobby Vaske, his wife, Jessica, and their two children frequent hikes with their two dogs at the same location: west of Centennial Parkway up past the 215 Beltway. One day, their dogs alerted them to a fox stuck in a trap by their paw. After they noticed the fox in the trap, one of their dogs set off a second trap close by. “My dog did step in it and luckily didn’t get hurt, but it could have been my kids!” said Jessica. “I was just very surprised and I wanted to help the animal,” recalls their 12-year-old son, Dylan. “I didn’t want to leave it.”

At that point, Vaske drove home and went to his garage, found a broomstick with a hollow tube, got an extension cord, looped it through the end of the tube to make something resembling a dog catcher noose, and a laundry basket to put over the fox while they attempted to get the trap off of his foot.

The Vaske family believes the trappers used a glittery garland wrapped around a desert plant to mark the fox’s den–which was just feet away. “They put the trap right on his doorstep to where he couldn’t come out of his home without stepping on that trap,” said Jessica. “That is just so wrong! I saw a piece of rancid meat right next to the trap, and I didn’t know that any of this was legal.”

It is a gross misdemeanor in the state of Nevada to disturb somebody else’s trap. Upon investigation, however, game wardens didn’t cite Vaske for freeing the fox and found the trapper did nothing wrong.

SEWARD, AK – On an overcast day in January, Abby and her owner visited a popular trail in Chugach National Forest. About twenty minutes from the parking lot, she heard Abby yelp. Abby had been caught by her head and paw in a powerful “quick-kill” Conibear 330 trap that had been baited with a bird wing and placed about fifty yards from the trail. When she reached Abby, she was still alive and wagged her tail in response to her name, but had defecated on herself and was “gurgling” as she struggled to breathe. Although her owner had attended a trapping education course about how to free animals from traps, she could not save Abby in time. She had to carry Abby’s body out from the trail with the trap still attached. After they were able to remove the trap, they gave it to the troopers and it was later returned to the trapper.

WASILLA, AK – Owner and dogs Fonzie and Sam Malone set out from a Palmer Hay Flats trailhead in late January. The area is popular with people running their dogs off-leash, and they had been there many times before. Fonzie and Sam Malone were under voice command and wore e-Collars, which are defined as leashes by Mat-Su Borough code. Suddenly, Sam Malone disappeared. After a quick search, he was found caught in a baited snare. The snare had tightened down on his snout and caused him to suffocate. His owner was unable to move his body, but returned the next day with a sled to retrieve it. When the owner went to Fish and Game to report the incident, he was surprised to learn that trapping is legal with very few exceptions in nearly all public multiuse areas in the Mat-Su. Fonzie, Sam Malone’s twin, had been depressed but had just started eating breakfast again following the incident. The entire family misses Sam Malone’s friendly personality and good nature.

MAYFLOWER, AR – Gypsy, a high energy German Shorthaired Pointer, stepped into a trap on a nature trail in Mayflower, Arkansas, during an evening walk. When Gypsy started yelping and crying, her owner knew that something was really wrong. The trap was set very close to the walking trail and looked to be fully camouflaged by the surroundings. The trap was legally set. Animal control and firefighters responded, and they freed Gypsy from the trap after nearly an hour. Gypsy’s owner said that although her injury seems to have gotten infected, the vet said her trapped limb didn’t look to be broken. Her owner said that she wants to make people more aware of traps in public trails and parks following this incident to prevent it from happening to other dogs and their owners.

EL RITO, NM – A dog walking with their owner was caught in both a snare and a leg hold trap just outside of El Rito. These traps on National Forest land were subsequently removed by New Mexico Game and Fish. The road the traps were close to is frequently used by dog walkers. The dog owner had no experience releasing traps. Luckily, the owner was able to free the dog’s paw first, then after realizing the dog had a snare around their neck, figured out how to release that as well. Trapping on public lands in New Mexico will be made illegal on April 1st, 2022. Until then, trappers must have a permit to place traps on public land.

BLUFFTON, IN – Charlie, a family cat, had been missing from his owners’ rural Indiana home since the end of December. They had searched the area around their home for several days with no luck. More than two weeks later, Charlie returned home, but he was badly injured. His right front paw had been caught in a trap (type unknown). Charlie’s right front leg had to be amputated as a result.

CEDARVILLE, MI – Keara, an 11.5 year old husky mix, was being walked by her owner on a leash when she stepped into a leghold trap. The trap was set just two feet off of the pedestrian trail. Luckily, Keara suffered only minor injuries, with some bruising around the trapping site, as her owner was able to release the trap shortly after it went off.

CHIMAYO, NM – An 8-year-old heeler mix named Roxy died while out for a walk in a federal Bureau of Land Management recreation area at Santa Cruz Lake when she became trapped in a snare. Roxy strangled to death as her owner tried to free her from the snare. The case prompted New Mexico legislators to approve a ban on the use of traps, snares, and wildlife poison on public lands. The Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, also called Roxy’s Law, takes effect in April 2022. The man responsible for setting the trap was charged with crimes regarding trapping fur-bearing animals, including trapping within 25 yards (23 meters) of a public road, failing to have identifying information on his traps, and failing to check his traps daily. Allegedly, during the trial, Game and Fish deleted thousands of photographs related to the case, in addition to losing other pieces of evidence, such as parts of the trap that snared Roxy.

UPPER MARLBORO, MD – Three zebras escaped from a man’s backyard over a month ago, where they were being kept at his private residence in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. One of the zebras was found dead in a snare trap on private property four weeks after the escape. It remains unclear who set the trap. The zebras’ owner has a permit for legal ownership under the USDA to keep the zebras on his property. He keeps a herd of 30 zebras and has accumulated more than 200 Animal Welfare Act violations throughout his time as an exotic animal owner. Unsafe enclosures, inadequate shelter, filthy conditions, and limited access to veterinary care were among these violations.

BISMARCK, ND – A cat was found in a leghold trap just off of South 12th Street by the Stardust Trailer Court in Bismarck, ND, earlier this week. The cat was severely injured. According to an Animal Impound Liaison with Furry Fiends Rockin’ Rescue: “It was atrocious. That poor cat. The fact that he was still moving, not wanting to rip somebody’s face off and in so much pain, floored me. You could see his bones sticking out of his legs. My thought was, my goodness, who does this?” Lt. Jeff Solemsaas, who oversees Bismarck’s Animal Control Department, was quoted saying that this can easily become a bigger issue: “The spring trap, there’s quite a bit of tension involved in those. So, a child could get hurt pretty severely by something like that.”