Fox snares

Seanachai

I came across a fox in a ditch in Wicklow, I assumed that he was just resting or got caught on the move and was waiting for me to pass. I'm not from the area I was in and when I told somebody about it they said he was in a snare and the reason he couldn't move was because of the wire noose around his neck. Can anybody tell me if this is legal as I never saw them used where I'm from, is the fox supposed to die in the snare or are they shot afterwards?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

It's legal but they must have the required stops and be checked at least once a day. If the snare is not being checked then report to NPWS.

Seanachai

Ramon Happy Minefield wrote: »

It's legal but they must have the required stops and be checked at least once a day. If the snare is not being checked then report to NPWS.

Is the fox supposed to die in the snare?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Seanachai wrote: »

Is the fox supposed to die in the snare?

No, hence why they should be checked regularly, preferably twice a day, so the fox may be dispatched promptly.

I personally abhor the practice, but that's it as it stands.

Zoo4m8

Seanachai wrote: »

I came across a fox in a ditch in Wicklow, I assumed that he was just resting or got caught on the move and was waiting for me to pass. I'm not from the area I was in and when I told somebody about it they said he was in a snare and the reason he couldn't move was because of the wire noose around his neck. Can anybody tell me if this is legal as I never saw them used where I'm from, is the fox supposed to die in the snare or are they shot afterwards?

When a fox is caught in a snare particularly one with a stop ( rarely used in my experience) it just doesn't sit quietly awaiting its fate, it wil try everything to get free, so if the vegetation around it wasn't thrashed it wasn't in a snare and there was some other reason for its behaviour..

Half-cocked

Ramon Happy Minefield wrote: »

I personally abhor the practice, but that's it as it stands.

It's inhumane and indiscriminate. Should be banned. If foxes need to be controlled and shooting isn't an option, then a live trap should be used and checked twice daily. Having said that, a lot of fox control is really unnecessary. People kill the foxes, then wonder why they have so many rats and mice around.

Hotei

Half-cocked wrote: »

Having said that, a lot of fox control is really unnecessary. People kill the foxes, then wonder why they have so many rats and mice around.

So true.
Unfortunately, some people enjoy killing foxes irrespective of whether they're causing a problem or not.

Seanachai

Hotei wrote: »

So true.
Unfortunately, some people enjoy killing foxes irrespective of whether they're causing a problem or not.

Some guys seem to have a serious personal issue with them, like it's their mission to cull them. I've heard them bragging about taking them out any chance they get. If they are having a serious effect on a farmer's livelihood then fair enough, but they should have to suffer or be killed needlessly.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Interestingly, studies show that culling/hunting foxes does nothing to reduce the population density. Killing foxes leaves a vacancy for another to survive in an area. They have a natural population density that's remarkably robust and self regulating.