Strolling through the countryside can nourish the soul. The chirping birds, the lush green vegetation, the temporary detachment from the hustle and bustle of modern life. It is a time for peaceful reflection – a time to appraise the day and centre one’s self again – a time to break free of the daily grind and perhaps even find some enlightenment. Imagine, then, of taking this walk and being confronted by a scene of misery, cruelty and suffering.
Victim
The latest report that has come in to snarewatch.org is just such a tragic case. Beverley Kirwan was going for a walk near her home when she came across a poor hare that seemed to be tangled on a wire fence. “It was horrific. I thought the large, distressed, hysterical hare was tangled in a wire fence so I tried to untangle it. It was screaming in agony and somersaulting, making the problem and its injuries much worse.
“I couldn't go to the landowner's house for help as his dogs were loose and they would not have let me knock on his door. I called my husband and asked him to bring some wire cutters.
“By the time he got there it was dark, we struggled to cut the wire and the hare died. Its injuries were horrific. It was only then we realised it was a snare; I had never seen one before. It was attached to a dilapidated wire fence with a long length on it. That is why I mistook it for a tangle of wire. It's the most distressing experience I've ever had.”
Ms Kirwan is by no means the only person to have had an experience like that etched into her memory. Snarewatch.org receives reports like this all too regularly. Not only can they slowly kill wildlife, we also often hear of cats and dogs falling victim to these barbaric devices. Another sad case was reported this month where Tabitha the cat had to have her leg amputated after being caught on a snare. Another example was the case of a badger caught in such a way that its head was stuck on an electric fence causing it to suffer electric shocks for at least 24 hours before dying. Not only are wild animals and pets being killed in an unimaginably cruel way, the distress and upset that Ms Kirwan experienced herself as she desperately tried to save this hare should not be forgotten either.
What you can do
Snares are used to trap certain animals regarded as pests, usually foxes. The snare that Ms Kirwan found was set near a shooting estate. Gamekeepers make use of snares to catch foxes so that they don’t kill the pheasants or red grouse that the estate’s customers are paying to shoot. And that’s what it’s about really – money. All this suffering and death – for profit. Hundreds of thousands of snares are set across the UK every year, with many of them set near country lanes and next to dog walking paths. Whether or not they have been set legally, they have the capacity to mutilate and kill animals indiscriminately. SnareWatch.org is an information sharing and reporting facility about snaring in the UK. This is a cruel, profit driven activity that has no place in modern society. If you find a snare, whether it has trapped an animal or not, please take photographic/video evidence and report it to snarewatch.org Every victim we see in a Snarewatch report is another tragedy, but these tragedies paint a picture. Every report is another example as to why these traps should be banned. Please be on the lookout for snares in your area and report any that you find to www.snarewatch.org
Together we can put a stop to this cruel practice.