Utah animal trap proposal pits hunters against wildlife advocates

SALT LAKE CITY — Hearings are being held around the state that pose a stark question: How long should an animal be allowed to suffer with its leg caught in a trap? A bitterly contested proposal to change the law pits some trappers and hunters against those who think extended suffering is barbaric.

Leg-hold traps are frequently used by trappers to capture coyotes. When an animal steps on the trap's release plate, powerful springs force two metal bars together, clamping firmly onto the animal's leg.

Utah law requires trappers to check their traps every two days to see if an animal has been caught. Now, the Utah Wildlife Board is considering a proposal to require monitoring only once every 7 days, an idea labeled "unethical" in a statement issued by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

A hunting group called Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife supports the seven-day time-frame. The group's founder, Don Peay, said he would settle for a four-day requirement, but the two-day rule now in effect makes it hard for coyote trappers to do the job effectively.

Trappers typically engage in the activity part time, and Peay said it's not practical for them to travel long distances every two days to check on traps in remote areas. As a result the two-day rule discourages an effective coyote-control effort.

"There's too many coyotes," Peay said. "They're dramatically reducing the deer population. So somehow, there's got to be an additional solution."

Critics say the change would be cruel to coyotes and other animals that get caught in the traps. "There's pain and suffering, and they can die of thirst or starvation while waiting to be freed from the trap," said Allison Jones, conservation biologist for the Wild Utah Project. "Frankly, we were surprised that the wildlife board would consider such an inhumane proposal."

Peay argues that coyotes inflict devastating effects on ranchers by killing livestock and that they deliver a steady blow to the hunting industry by killing young deer.

"I've watched a pack of coyotes kill a fawn, and I'm going to side with the baby deer on this one," Peay said. "You know, if you really look out for animal rights and you care about Bambi, you don't want coyotes around. So, yeah. We'll take the side of protecting Bambi and shooting coyotes."