The body gripping traps are traps designed to kill the trapped animal quickly. They are frequently called “Conibear” traps after Canadian Frank Conibear who first constructed this type of trap in 1957. This type of trap was considered by trappers one of the greatest innovations in traps in the 20th century. Animals were quickly killed and therefore no animal could escape once caught. Conibear traps are mostly used to trap muskrats or beaver.
Every six weeks it seems like there’s an article in some paper discussing the fact that beavers need killing but not to worry because ‘the conibear traps they use kill instantly and are very humane’. I’ve even read of trappers offering reassurance about their humanity by saying that there were never any ‘chew marks’ on the trap, meaning the animal was killed before he could struggle. Of course, I’ve seen those bunny hugger videos about how cruel and actually UNinstant these traps are, especially for an animal that can hold its breath for 15 minutes, but I’ve been doing this long enough to realize that even though they’re shocking to me, they’d quickly be written off as unimportant PETA whimpers and ignored.
This story might just change all that.
Seems Tuesday morning David & Chrissy heard what sounded like a cat whining in distress in the backyard.
Upon investigation, the couple found a small, black cat caught in a trap on a neighboring property. The trap was attached to the fence by a hook and the cat lay ensnared between the trap’s clamps. Reaching over the fence, Atlee and Espley managed to grab the trap and then rushed to contact another area resident they thought the cat may have belonged to. The couple, with the assistance of the resident, who was not the cat’s owner, was able to release the cat, rushing the animal to Happy Cat Haven seeking medical assistance. The trap was confirmed by Miller to be a Conibear, often used to hunt small animals such as mink and beaver.
Did you get that? Not only was the cat howling for a good long while, he also lasted long enough for two neighbors to be contacted and then survived a trip to the vet. And this was after being caught in the same trap that is supposed to kill beavers instantly and humanely! I don’t know when the last time you compared our stocky little beavers to a sleek light-boned cat, but I have to imagine its easier to crush a cat than it is to crush a beaver.The cat received medical attention and painkillers and was still surviving well at the end of the article. Maybe the whole thing is not that instant after all.
I guess it’s a good idea that beavers are trapped underwater, so nobody ever hears them howl.
