Search Trapping Incidents Database

Peanut was caught in a trap meant for skunks. Although the backyard was surrounded by a 6-foot fence, Peanut managed to get in and was caught by the unbaited trap. The nuisance wildlife control operator (NWCO) hired to remove the skunks was convicted of animal cruelty and order to pay a fine of $393. The NWCO initially apologized for the accidental killing to Peanut’s caregivers, and returned Peanut’s remains to them. The NWCO later wrote, “I was mailed a ticket from the city of Topeka. The city’s position is that since I intended to kill the skunk, the death of Peanut was intentional as well.”

Several dogs were being walked on the Eagle River Trail in Juneau as part of a Doggie Day Care outing. Bubba, who was in the care of the Gastineau Humane Society, and another dog went missing initially during a game of fetch. One came back when called, but Bubba didn’t respond. The dog was found the next day right off the trail in a conibear trap.

When Castor disappeared Wednesday evening, his caregiver and others tracked the meowing cat to the backyard of a nearby home. They found Castor seriously injured in a Conibear trap, caught by the belly. were no fractures but there were extensive internal injuries to the organs. After nearly a week in intensive care at the veterinary clinic, Castor was put to sleep on 04/27/08. His caregivers intend to sue the trap owner for Castor’s medical expenses of almost $3,300. The cat died a few days after being taken to a veterinary clinic for treatment. The man was later charged with animal cruelty. An animal protection officer said, “Our constable reported to a cat in a conibear trap last year in the same block. The cat survived.”

A woman hiker looking for Native American artifacts found a dog caught in a coyote trap. The dog had been there about a day, caught by the left front leg. She freed the dog from the trap and then spent a week and a half trying to track down the dog’s family. The dog wasn’t wearing a collar, and no one responded to fliers and newspaper ads. Meanwhile, the vets taking care of the dog, now named Ava, thought she would need to lose the injured leg. The woman was not in a position to care for Ava long-term. When it became obvious that nobody would claim Ava, she was taken to Best Friends Animal Society of Kanab, UT, to heal and for later adoption.

A dog was found caught in a trap by the local Animal Control warden on 04/07/08. The dog had been in the trap about two weeks, and apparenlty had tried to chew off her left rear leg to get free. Photos at the pound where she was taken show her leg hanging by just a couple of bones. She was extremely emaciated, dehydrated, with a low heart rate. Surgery was scheduled for the same day to remove her leg at the hip.

A feral cat with a leghold trap on his front paw wandered into a woman’s yard. The cat wandered off before an SPCA responder arrived to take care of the animal. The woman’s only recourse was to use a humane cat trap and return the cat to the SPCA for euthanasia. Since the cat wandered off, presumably it “die[d] a slow agonizing death.”

A family was surprised to see their cat Lenny coming home caught in a leghold trap and dragging a large wooden stake. The jaws of the trap were clamped firmly around the abdomen of their cat, who was in obvious pain and gasping for air. A veterinarian removed the trap and within a few days Lenny was back to normal. The family said they’re still upset and angry, and wonder who could have put out such a dangerous device in a neighborhood where numerous children and pets run around. The trap is now with the Saskatoon SPCA, which is investigating the incident.

A dog was found in an old warehouse off north Union near Interstate 70 in north St. Louis. A woman called Stray Rescue after some coworkers spotted the injured dog limping. The pregnant dog, named Sahara by the rescue worker, was sedated and the trap removed from her leg. X-rays revealed that there were no broken bones, but Sahara had also been shot. Stray Rescue is now offering a reward to find out who may be responsible for mistreating the animal.

A couple were hiking with a friend’s husky in Chugach National Forest near Mile 86 of the Seward Highway. They parked at the large national forest sign south of Girdwood. The dog ran ahead and was caught in a leghold trap. They managed to release the dog, whose leg was injured but not broken. The dog broke several teeth biting at the trap.

A woman’s retriever was caught in a 330 Conibear about 20-30 yards off the Penguin Creek Trail in Chugach State Park. The trap was baited with salmon filets. After about 20 minutes, the woman and her friends figured out the spring mechanism and released the dog, which was uninjured.