Horrific suffering should be banned

Scotland must ban snares to stop the “horrific suffering” of animals.

Many snares are legal but more are set illegally, according to the Scottish SPCA which is calling for an outright ban on their use.

It received 50 calls about snares to its animal helpline since the beginning of last year, and attended 15 incidents involving he deadly traps.

Bosses at the charity believe hundreds of animals killed by snares remain unreported.

And because of their indiscriminate use, domestic pets such as dogs and cats as well as wild animals including roe deer can end up trapped.

Mike Flynn, the Scottish SPCA’s chief superintendent, said: “The suffering that an animal endures in a snare is horrific and that is why we are in favour of an outright ban on the use of snares in Scotland.”

Images of animals including a fox and a badger caught in snares have been released by the organisation.

One Scottish SPCA undercover inspector said: “We have been alerted to multiple animals caught in snares, who have been caused an immense amount of suffering, leading to their death.

“Snaring is legal subject to very stringent conditions.

“We see a lot of cases of illegal snaring, or legal snares being used illegally. The use of snares is very technical and time-consuming and unless a person is willing to dedicate the time and effort, it’s highly likely an animal’s welfare will be compromised.”