Dogs And Hunting Traps

I am in no way anti-hunting. (Meat eating is natural; when a vegan thinks they are not killing animals, consider the thousands of animals lives that are sacrificed to farm the food they eat. No way is being a vegan "carbon neutral".) I think hunting has a beneficial effect for species as well as for humans. Wildlife needs to be managed to sustain healthy densities of appropriate populations. There are numerous ways humans hunt land-based animals, from using guns, bow and arrow, falconry, dogs, and traps.

 

For those living in cities, they don’t encounter wildlife. They know next to nothing about wild animals, ranching or farming. Their idea of hunting is to go to a restaurant and order a pineapple and Canadian bacon pizza. That results in goofy ideas about proper wildlife management. It also results in them falling for fantastical tales about how they should treat their dogs like wolves treat other wolves. (Don’t get me started…) 

 

Trappers tend to manage their traps; however, it is possible for unintended animals to be snared. Loose dogs can get entangled and require rescue. That’s why it is a good idea, especially in rural areas, to not let your dogs run free. Someone, or some animal, is always potentially out there hunting and your dog can get caught in a bad situation.

 

I tend to agree with the locals when it comes to what is best for wildlife in their communities. They must live there, often they are piggybacking off centuries of knowledge, and they aren’t trying to wipe out the wildlife. It is their way of life and before city folk get involved, they should instead understand what and why of their lifestyle, needs, and dangers they face in these rural communities. 

[From the article: "Most animals can survive being caught for a short period without suffering debilitating injuries, he said. So a trapper can free a dog or another relatively small animal that was unintentionally caught, and the critter should be fine in most cases, he said. “Those animals, just being caught overnight, can be released with minimal injuries,” he said."]

 

You can’t learn all you need to know about wildlife by watching cartoons as kids and then shopping for food at your local grocery store as adults.