Animal ‘alive and suffering’ after being caught in new ‘humane’ trap say anti-Grouse shooting group
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A member of the Moorland Monitors Facebook group took the gruesome photo at Midhopestones near Stocksbridge on Saturday showing a stoat which has been caught and killed in a Tully trap.
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Hide AdThe traps are meant to be a humane alternative to the Fenn traps which were outlawed last year, but campaigners say they are often just as cruel as those they have replaced.
Group member Bob Berzins said the photo proved that the animal had suffered and that the new style traps were not as humane as had been claimed.
He said: “It is supposed to kill the animal instantly but you can tell by its back leg that it was trying to get out.
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Hide Ad“The fact that this animal was alive and suffering is itself strong evidence that the traps are not as humane as they are meant to be.
“I would question whether that is the kind of scene we want to be coming across in a National Park. These are animals people who use the Peak District want to see.”
The traps are set legally under licence by gamekeepers to catch animals which might prey on young grouse birds or eggs.
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Hide AdAs well as stoats, they are meant to catch weasels, rats and even foxes with other types of traps designed for birds such as crows or magpies.