PRESS RELEASE: Howling For Wolves renews call to end snaring in Minnesota
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 13, 2018
CONTACT: Dr. Maureen Hackett, Howling For Wolves, 612.250.5915
or Leslie Rosedahl, LWRosedahl@locklaw.com, 651.353.1818
Howling For Wolves renews call to end snaring in Minnesota
Wolf entangled, starved, and then shot in Duluth: latest reason to pass legislation to eliminate snaring in 2018
(St. Paul, Minn) – Recent reports note a wolf, entangled in a snare (which illegally was missing owner identification), was shot and killed in Duluth this weekend.
Dr. Maureen Hackett, founder and president of Howling For Wolves, a Minnesota-based wolf advocacy organization, responds:
“Most people don’t know that hidden all over our woods are snares that trap dogs and wild animals alike, holding them in misery until their death. Our woods are just not safe. These barbaric and unselective wire nooses catch and maim whoever walks by. Banning snaring would be a step to reduce assaults on wildlife and pets. It’s time Minnesota joins the 20+ states that have already banned the practice of recreational snaring.”
LEGISLATION TO ELIMINATE SNARING: Howling For Wolves supports current state legislation that would eliminate recreational snaring of all wildlife: House File 2160, authored by Representatives Fischer, Loon, Kunesh-Podein, Rosenthal, Ward, Slocum, Allen, Dehn, R., and Hornstein and its companion bill, Senate File 1447, authored by Senators Hoffman, Wiger, and Dibble. A snaring ban would eliminate this trapping that uses cheap wire nooses that restrain and tighten their grip on wild animals and family pets. Snares are put out by the hundreds and remain year-round. Snares are difficult to see and they kill and maim many animals that are not even the targeted wildlife including dogs, deer, pheasants, wolves, moose, and songbirds. Snares catch body parts and cause dismemberment, disembowelment, and of course, death. When a wolf is snared around the neck, it suffers a prolonged and painful death including severe brain swelling and bleeding for the wolf. Twenty (20) states have outlawed the use of snares to trap animals. The bill allows for an exception for use of snares in authorized predator-control programs.
LEGISLATION TO TREAT/REHABILITATE WOLVES: The media reports the wolf in Duluth was caught by her snout, shot, and then killed, rather than captured, treated, and released. Right now there are no rehabilitations centers in Minnesota permitted to treat a wolf because our MN DNR has selectively excluded the wild wolf from any rehabilitation on every large Minnesota wildlife center’s permit. A separate bill supported by Howling For Wolves (Senate File 2396) would allow up to two centers that seek and meet certification requirements to care for a wolf in need of treatment and rehabilitation.
MORE ABOUT SNARING: More information on snaring and other cruel methods can be found here on the Howling For Wolves website. (Warning: graphic illustrations.)
PAST MEDIA REPORTS ON SNARING: Last year, two men were charged with illegally using over 600 snares in Northern Minnesota after having a record of multiple trapping infractions over decades. Dogs have also been caught by snares.
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Howling For Wolves is a Minnesota-based wolf advocacy organization that educates the public about the wild wolf to foster tolerance and to ensure the wolf’s long-term survival. Howling For Wolves opposes recreational wolf hunting and trapping and all wildlife snaring. We currently support the continuation of federal protections for the wolf by the Endangered Species Act.
February 13, 2018