Talking Points
Read the Trapping Regulations first! Be
Familiar with them.
Make the Humane Argument. Traps
are dangerous and cruel despite arguments you may hear.
Wildlife personnel shrug humane considerations off as
"unscientific". But it's obvious that traps cause
suffering.
TrailSafe is
currently petitioning the Board of Wildlife Commissioners
for a ban on all injurious traps, poisons or other harmful
or lethal devices within all Washoe County Firearm Congested
Areas.
Distance
traps should be set from trails. See the incident reports pages which
prove there is NO place for harmful traps anywhere in Reno,
Sparks or Washoe County congested areas. Elsewhere, three
miles is a desirable buffer distance from any trails or
roads.
Trapper
ID on each and every trap. This was required
approximately 15 years ago, then overturned in state
legislature. Today, even game wardens don’t know who set a
trap.
Traps to be
clearly marked in the field -- visible from a distance.
There is no such rule today, so anyplace we hike is
potentially a minefield of hidden traps. We have discussed
posting warning signs with NDOW personnel and gotten no
response.
Traps
to be visited at least every 24 hours -- present law
requires only every 96 hours. This is one of the longest
periods of enforced animal suffering for any state in the
USA.
Public should
have the right to disturb a trap when that trap poses a
clear danger. Today public has no right to disturb a trap.
Trappers to be liable for any
damages caused by their traps or actions. Stiff
penalties for non-compliance.
|