Appeal after six-year-old rescue cat dies trapped in deadly snare

Six-year-old rescue cat Mango was found severely injured after being caught in a snare trap near a public footpath on land close to the M5 motorway in Catshill, Bromsgrove.

The cat was trapped in the snare by her head on August 31. She was found dead by her owner who had gone looking for her after she was missing from home for around 24 hours.

RSPCA Inspector Ben Jones is appealing for information. He said: “Mango would have suffered considerably. These traps are indiscriminate and can cause horrible and sometimes fatal injuries to animals, including pets. She was very unlucky to have been caught by this trap and my heart goes out to his owner who is devastated by this loss.

“The RSPCA is opposed to the manufacture, sale and use of all snares and traps which cause suffering. They can cause a huge amount of pain and distress and they can be fatal. The use of them to trap animals is inhumane and cruel and people leave themselves open to prosecution if they are using illegal snares or not setting and checking them correctly.

“Although a ‘free-running’ snare can be used legally to trap certain species of mammals, if it becomes locked, either through design, poor maintenance or via improper positioning, it can kill.

“There are strict legal conditions on setting certain types of traps and if they are not set in the right way non-target animals, like this cat, can get injured or even killed. If this happens the person setting the trap could potentially be committing an offence.

“We would urge anyone who has any information regarding this to please contact me on our RSPCA inspector appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

"Never try to free an animal from a snare or trap – you risk hurting yourself and the animal, and it could be an offence if the animal was legally caught. Also, many animals caught by snares are more seriously injured than you think, so it is best that they are examined properly to see if they need treatment."

Information on snare traps

There are some regulations governing the use of snares. It is illegal to set snares for birds, deer, badgers and certain other species, though snares cannot distinguish between animals and may trap the wrong one. It is up to the person setting the snare to ensure that the snare they use complies with the law.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits the use of self-locking snares which, as a variation on the traditional noose, tightens as the animal struggles to escape.

Under the Act, users of free running snares must take all reasonable precautions to prevent injury to protected animals, but precautions provide no guarantee against such an event.

It is also a legal requirement that snares be checked at least once a day, yet from the severity of the injuries caused to a lot of animals it seems that many people do not follow even this minimal requirement.

A code of practice on the use of snares for fox control, supported by the Government, is now available in England but the RSPCA has yet to see that this code is having a significant effect in preventing incidents such as the one described here. In 2015 the Welsh Government also released a voluntary Code of Practice on the use of snares for foxes.

Once animals are confined in a snare their welfare is governed by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The person setting the snare has responsibility for their welfare and it is an offence to cause, or fail to prevent, unnecessary suffering to the animal.

Find out more here https://www.rspca.org.uk/strategy