Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, is backing the League Against Cruel Sports’ campaign to ban snaring.
A snare is a thin wire noose set to trap animals which some people view as being a pest or threat, usually foxes and rabbits. These animal traps are used extensively on ‘game’ bird shoots and are intended to catch the animals around the neck like a lasso.
Snares capture any animal that happens to step into them. In 2012 a UK government study found that only around a quarter of the animals caught in snares were the intended targets (normally foxes). The remaining three quarters of the animals caught, severely injured or killed in these vicious nooses included hares, badgers, family cats and dogs, deer and even otters. Based on the government’s 2012 research, the League estimates that snares may be trapping up to 1,700,000 animals every year.
Despite the cruelty of the device, there is still no total bans on its use. Several polls indicate that over 70% of the general public would support a full ban if implemented.
Commenting on the campaign, Andrew Gwynne said:
“Snaring is a cruel, inhumane and outdated practise, and it needs to stopped.
The current legislation is simply not fit for purpose, and its time for the Government to step up and protect our wonderfully diverse wildlife.
I’m really grateful to the League Against Cruel Sports for campaigning so hard against snaring, and I’m proud to be backing their calls to #BanSnaring.”
Pictured: Gwynne backed the calls to #BanSnaring at a Parliamentary event last week.