Finally, the noose is tightening on the use of snares in Scotland

Imagine getting trapped in a machine with a vice-like grip around your neck or stomach. You can’t move, because every time you do, the vice tightens. Any attempt to wriggle free moves you a little closer to having the life squeezed out of you.

For animals every year, this is not a nightmare scenario but a depressing reality. That is because of inhumane snares, which are used as a form of pest control but condemn animals to an agonising death every year. Animals don’t know that trying to escape from snares brings death nearer.

There’s now hope that all forms of snares will be consigned to history. Last week, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Energy and the Environment, Gillian Martin, said she’d push for a full ban on snares as part of a Bill currently passing through Holyrood. For the Scottish SPCA, this could be the culmination of a decades-long effort to get rid of them in Scotland.

On top of the painful consequences of being caught in one, snares are indiscriminate. They are used as a form of pest control, but there is no way anyone can effectively control what gets trapped in one. Over the years, our inspectors have dealt with badgers, otters and other much-loved wild animals being caught in them.

Viewers of the hit BBC show Born to be Wild, which was filmed at our National Wildlife Rescue Centre, followed efforts to save an otter, who had almost been cut in half by a self-tightening snare. Our vets tried valiantly, but ultimately in vain, to save the otter. His waterproof coat was damaged beyond repair, and he passed away.

Snares don’t just trap wild animals either. Since 2020, a third of the reports of animals being caught in snares the Scottish SPCA has responded to has actually involved a pet. Often, outdoor cats can end up in snares. In 2021, we had to amputate a cat’s leg due to the damage done by a snare. It is unacceptable for this to continue.

Should it happen, a snare ban will be another big win for animal welfare in Scotland. Over the past few years, lots of things we’ve campaigned for have become a reality. That includes harsher sentences for animal cruelty, being able to rehome animals more quickly, and tighter regulations around the use of fireworks.

We’ll always advocate for animals, so that Scotland is the best place for any animal to call home. Should a snare ban come to pass, it’ll save countless animals in the future.

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