TRAPPING: Shades of Arfee slaying

Where are all the Arfee fans when it comes to pets being killed by local trapping? One dog is killed by gunshot and the whole community rages about it for months. Two pet dogs (that we know of) are killed by traps in a much more traumatic and cruel way and nobody seems to care.

Do any of you dog lovers even know about the deadly types of traps that are being used on public and National Forest lands which surround our communities in North Idaho? The “conibear traps” or body traps for example squeeze and crush the life out of whatever small or medium dog sized animal happens to get trapped in it. It is not just a foot or leg trap. Then there are the snare traps that choke the life out of whatever animal goes down that path. Who knows how many un-targeted animals end up in these traps?

There is a video of how to release an animal from the conibear traps. However, the animal that is caught in one of these traps will likely be dead or beyond recovery by the time the owner is able to extract it (if the owner is even able to perform the extraction process).

Recently the Idaho Department of Fish and Game had an opportunity to modify their trapping rules and failed to eliminate the use of conibear traps. Instead they are establishing a certification program for the trapping community. This certification program is a superficial reaction to the public concern for the safety of their families and pets when using public lands.

If you would like to see some of the results of conibear trapping just Google “Conibear Traps.” Until this type of trapping is eliminated in North Idaho, I urge people to only use roads and major forest trails if you take your family and pets on hikes on public land.

JAY MARTIN

Athol