Where do Ontario's politicians stand on this issue?

NEWS RELEASE

ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF FUR-BEARING ANIMALS

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Do politicians support torturous trapping?

Graphic details of trapping should be made clear to politician

New regulations surrounding the accountability and transparency of the trapping industry in Ontario should be supported by politicians attending the 85th Annual Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) conference next week.

The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals (APFA) is calling on Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak, New Democrat Party leader Andrea Horwath and Liberal Deputy Minister of Natural Resources David O'Toole to look before they leap.

"Across Canada we are routinely seeing non-target species and domestic pets caught in leg-hold and body gripping traps," said Shannon Kornelsen, spokesperson for APFA in Ontario. "There is no recourse when this occurs as there is no identification required on traps or signage placed around traps. The political leaders attending this conference have likely not witnessed the immense pain, fear and torture that these sentient animals experience at the hands of trappers. We are asking them to first watch our videos, read our information and start the discussion on policy change before showing their support for more trapping."
 
Progressive co-existence policies are required to prevent the ongoing pain and inhumane torture of both wildlife and domestic animals in Ontario's ecosystems.

"We regularly learn of misfortune befalling those who come across leg-hold and body gripping traps," Kornelsen added. "Most recently in British Columbia a coyote caught in a trap pulled the pins free and was found wandering, his leg mangled after being twisted 360 degrees in the trap. He was euthanized by a local welfare agency - the trapping community did not provide any assistance."

In recent years an endangered wolverine was caught in a trap set out for lynx; a 19-year-old woman and her dog were both caught by leg-hold traps set out for coyotes and had to drag themselves a kilometer before finding help; a Barred Owl was found in a leg-hold trap only a few hundred yards for an elementary school in Surrey.

With no individual identification or signage provided by trappers, there is no possible recourse or enforcement available in any of these cases.

"Without the political will to add accountability and transparency to the trapping industry, this will happen again," Kornelsen said. "This is the truth behind trapping. This is what Ontario's political leaders are supporting."
  
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