Wildlife officials meet with trappers, animal rights activists

Recent incidents of household pets getting caught in leg-hold traps intended to snare bobcats, coyotes and a variety of foxes and other fur-bearing animals have spurred heated debate in the Silver State.

Opponents say trapping wild animals is a barbaric practice that threatens domestic pets.

Trappers -- who get about $500 for each bobcat pelt and $40 to $50 for a coyote pelt -- say the predators they catch and kill for their pelts are responsible for far more pet deaths in Nevada.

State wildlife officials are in the unenviable position of trying to please both groups.

To that end, commissioners with the Nevada Department of Wildlife and Chief Game Warden Rob Buonamici met with trappers and animal rights activists in Las Vegas on Monday and will meet in Washoe County this week to discuss possible rule revisions on where traps can be set, what type of trap can be used and how many hours a trapper can leave one unchecked.

On Monday, Wildlife Department Commissioner David McNinch said existing rules that bar trapping within 1,000 feet of homes and popular hiking trails "seemed reasonable" for several years until a feral cat was injured after being ensnared in a leg-hold trap at a Northern Nevada park in August 2010.

Last year, a family dog was caught in a leg-hold trap on Mount Charleston, but there were conflicting reports on whether the animal was injured.

A bill seeking to change the rules was introduced in the 2011 Legislature. Lawmakers did not take action other than to order wildlife officials to hear from both sides before implementing "reasonable" revisions, McNinch said.

McNinch noted the situation is much different in Southern Nevada than in the north, where a greater variety and higher number of fur-bearing animals roam the range.

Trappers are barred from trapping within 1,000 feet of homes and many of the state's more popular hiking trails. Trappers want the current rules in effect to remain while Trailsafe and other animal welfare groups seek a 1,000-yard limit -- and they want it to apply to hiking trails as well as homes.

Both sides agree private property owners should be exempt.

Animal advocates also seek to ban the leg-hold traps commonly used and instead want trappers to use box or cage traps that don't injure animals, whether they are wild animals or domestic pets.

They also want to shorten the length of time trappers must check their traps, from 96 hours to 24 hours, and they want those traps to bear identification to enhance enforcement.

But trappers say their traps often are stolen, and they fear putting their names on them would enable someone to set a trap either in a prohibited location or by using unlawful baiting techniques to set them up.

Karen Lane, president of the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society, acknowledged the problem is more severe in Northern Nevada, "But we've had our fair share," she said, "particularly on Mount Charleston."

Indeed, it is in the mountains where most Southern Nevada trappers work. She advocates outlawing trapping in areas where it is already illegal to hunt.

Gina Greisen of Nevada Voters for Animals supports forcing trappers to put their identities on the traps they set, but both trappers and wildlife officials disagree.

"It's like a license plate," said Buonamici, a 32-year game warden. "When you have a bank robbery, you can get the (plate) number, but it's probably a stolen car."

Trailsafe on its website contends about 100 pet dogs become trapped in leg-holds each year. Buonamici said he gets between six and 12 calls a year in Southern Nevada, most of them in the Mount Charleston area.

McNinch said any revisions to trapping laws would not be discussed until February or March.

Contact reporter Doug McMurdo at dmcmurdo@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512.