Jul 03, 2010
SOURCE: Fur Institute Of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, March 17, 2010 " The Fur Institute of Canada (FIC) is pleased to report that two new restraining traps for capturing raccoon have been certified for use in Canada " the Duffer and the Lil’ Grizz Get’rz. These devices are referred to as foot encapsulating traps, as they do not leave the toes exposed to potential injuries.
Conventional jaw-type leg-hold restraining traps for the capture of raccoon have been illegal in all Canadian jurisdictions habituated by this species since 1993. “However,” stated FIC Executive Director Rob Cahill, “with increased development in rural areas, the legal use of traditional quick-killing traps has sometimes resulted in the accidental capture of off-leash dogs. The more recently developed encapsulating traps are specifically designed to avoid these accidental captures and to provide a dog-safe means to capture raccoons in populated urban and suburban settings, as well as to ensure good welfare to the raccoons.”
As Canada’s official trap testing agency, the FIC recently undertook a testing project with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and in-kind field support from the Quebec Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, to determine if these traps meet the requirements of the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS).
Following evaluation of the testing results by scientists at the Alberta Research Council, the two models were found to meet the raccoon restraining trap requirements of the AIHTS and have now been certified for use in Canada. Cahill said that “based on these results, regulation changes are underway in several Canadian jurisdictions to permit the use of these unique traps”.
Cahill said that, “this is a good example of reviewing trapping policy based on changes in society and trap development technologies.” Other similar traps will likely be tested in the future.
For more information, contact
Robert B. Cahill, Executive Director, Fur Institute of Canada
331 Cooper Street, Suite 701, Ottawa Ontario K2P 0G5
(613) 231-7099 x 226, Mobile: (613) 878-0034
