Perth-based Scottish Gamekeepers Association recommends snares be replaced with humane traps

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Perth-based Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) has written to ministers recommending existing snares be banned in Scotland and replaced with new humane devices.The gamekeeper representative body at Inveralmond, which has 5300 members, claims the new device allows an animal to break free and represents a “major step-change” in animal welfare.Some organisations such as SSPCA have persistently campaigned to ban snares, which trained land managers, poultry keepers and pest controllers use to restrain foxes prior to them being “humanely” put down.The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, set up by Scottish Government, recently recommended prohibition.However, neither body has seen new humane holding device technology in use in this country as they have only been trialled in two places in Scotland, to date.The new devices are fitted as standard with a lock which relaxes around the fox’s neck when held.

This discourages pulling on the devices.In addition, a shortened tail from the mid-point swivel to the anchor means the held fox cannot range so far from where the device is secured, reducing the risk of harm caused by trying to pull free.Non-target species such as deer and badgers can free themselves from the holding devices, if they exert the type of pressure which animals of that size are capable of.There is also a ‘stop’ system which ensures the device cannot tighten around a fox’s neck but stops at a diameter where this would be impossible.“Many of the snares people see on these awful campaign videos are not actual snares and they are illegal,” said Paul Wilson, SGA committee member, who has used the new holding devices.“They are often home-made, crude devices used by people such as poachers.“This is abhorrent and is