Decision on animal trapping delayed

RENO -- A Washoe County wildlife advisory panel delayed a proposal seeking to ban leg-hold and other types of animal trapping in congested areas after a trappers group objected to new language proposed by a trails association.

The Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife decided to postpone consideration to give the public more time to review it.

The citizen group Trailsafe circulated a petition last month in reaction to a cat being caught in a leg-hold trap in Cottonwood Park in the spring.

The trapper received two citations, one for setting a leg-hold trap within 30 feet of exposed bait and one for setting a leg-hold trap within 200 feet of a road. The citations cost $590 in fines and court costs.

Joel Blakeslee, president of the Nevada Trappers Association, said his group doesn't object to the congested-area trapping ban. He said few trappers want to work in subdivisions, parks and congested areas. He said the man involved in the Cottonwood incident was a novice trapper.

But Blakeslee said his group objects to language that the ban is a matter of "public safety." He said no child has been caught in a leg-hold trap in Nevada and the ban should be for animal safety.

Blakeslee said he also objects to banning all but "humane traps," defined in the petition as only those designed to catch an animal without physical injury.

"We agree with the congested area part, but the petition goes beyond that," he said. "We've been acting in good faith and asked them to take out that language, but they haven't done that."

Trailsafe's Trish Swain said traps have the potential to hurt animals and people.

"Safety is the core of our argument," she said. "Why else would we present this petition? We want to protect people, pets and wildlife from traps that are defined by many scientists as inhumane."

Rick Smith, vice chairman of the wildlife advisory board, urged the two sides to reach a compromise.