Thousands of wild animals and pets fall victim to senseless pain and suffering caused by traps in New Mexico. The New Mexico Department of Fish & Game (NMDFG) is recommending changes to the state’s trapping rules – but these changes will fail to protect people, pets and wildlife from cruel and indiscriminate traps.
The NMDFG’s inadequate recommendations include:
- Closing a few areas of land to most trapping, but leaving the vast majority of public lands still open for leghold traps, lethal snares, and conibear (body-gripping) traps;
- Increasing the distance traps must be set from trailheads but not from trails and roads; and
- Opening year-round seasons for raccoons and nutria (who currently may only be killed at certain times of the year).
The agency also has declined to propose bag limits for furbearers – meaning that animals like coyotes, foxes, bobcats, raccoons, otters and other species may still be killed in unlimited numbers.
The State Game Commission will be considering NMDFG’s proposed changes at a meeting this Thursday in Santa Fe.
Speak up for animals!
Attend the Game Commission’s meeting to voice your concerns about outdated, unnecessary trapping – and ask the Commission to implement strong rules to protect New Mexico’s people, pets and wildlife from traps.
What: New Mexico State Game Commission Meeting
When: Thursday, August 22, 2019 beginning at 9 AM (agenda here)
Where: New Mexico State Capitol Room 317, 490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe
When you arrive, please fill out a speaker card at the door. You will be given two minutes to speak to the commission publicly.
Talking Points
When you speak, please emphasize why it is so important to protect New Mexico from traps.
- Traps are cruel. Animals in traps may starve to death, succumb to exposure or dehydration, or even chew off their own limbs trying to escape.
- Traps are non-selective. They kill non-target animals including cats, dogs and endangered species or imperiled species, including Mexican wolves. Countless New Mexico residents have lost beloved pets to these practices.
- Trapping allows a tiny minority of the population to steal New Mexico’s wildlife for personal profit. Wildlife belongs to ALL citizens – but for only $20 a year (even less for youth), a trapper is allowed to kill as many animals as he or she wants for private gain.
- Preventative and non-lethal methods are more effective at protecting public health and livestock.
Thank you for acting to protect New Mexico’s people, pets and wildlife!
For Wild Nature,
Camilla H. Fox
Founder & Executive Director