by: Neal Jotham
WINTER 1987
Over the past decade improvements in the humaneness of trapping furbearing animals have increased considerably. This has resulted from the increase in trapper education programs across Canada and the willingness of trappers to share their ideas for improved trapping methods with others. Public concern and regulatory changes have had effect in several provinces. In the end, however, it is the trappers in the field who ultimately can ensure that every fur-bearing animal is taken as humanely as possible. So, it is with the trapper and his/her techniques that research must begin to further improve the humaneness in trapping.
With this in mind, the Fur Institute of Canada (FIC) has a three-part humane trapping program consisting of basic scientific laboratory/field testing, education on the use of improved systems, and a program to inform trappers, government and the general public on progress. These elements are the keystone toward ensuring that the most humane trapping systems for specified furbearers will be adopted on a national basis.
Trap Research Program
Building on earlier research, the FIC had undertaken the most concerted effort to date to develop even further, the humane and efficient systems required to take wild furbearing animals. Over the past three years, Environment Canada and the International Fur Trade Federation have provided $1.5 million and $600,000, respectively, to the FIC for the continuation of research and development of humane trapping systems.
These initiatives led to the construction of an extensive research facility at the Alberta Environmental Centre (AEC), in Vegreville, Alberta. The facility consists of a 1,200 square foot (111 sq. metre) core building and a 5 = acre (2.2 hectare) fenced compound. The compound provides natural habitat for the individual holding and test pens which allows the researchers to monitor the animals under simulated trapline situations. This facility, the finest of its kind in the world, is utilized by a full-time, six-person Project Team of scientists and technicians who can also draw on the expertise of biologists, pathologists, veterinarians and engineers at AEC to carry out the research and testing.
Mechanically Powered Killing Traps
To date, the research team at Vegreville has been asked to concentrate on the development of humane killing trap systems because these can be used throughout much of Canada for taking 12 different furbearers in land trapping situations as well as for four of these species in water trapping situations. Because trappers are familiar with these trapping systems, it was reasoned that improvements in this area would be quickly accepted.
After reviewing the results of the past research and testing efforts, a seven-phase program was devised for the project at AEC.
Furbearers that are ACCLIMATED (Phase 1)to their new surroundings are monitored remotely by state-of-the-art night television cameras as they APPROACH selected TRAPS and TRAP SETS (Phase II). The traps at this stage fire when triggered by the animal but the killing bar is wired to move only a short distance without striking. Later observations of slow motion video by the researchers can allow them to project where the bar would most likely have struck the animal's body. These observations can be used to evaluate the trap design, thereby capitalizing on the behaviour of the animal as it approaches the trap.
When a stipulated number of ANIMAL/TRAP APPROACHES are deemed to have resulted in a successful strike, the trap is moved to PRE-SELECTION (Phase III) where the same animals are anaesthetized and placed in the exact position they were in during the APPROACH PHASE. The trap is then remotely triggered to strike them.
Under the anaesthetic, an animal can feel no pain but its eye reflex can still be monitored to determine consciousness. The eye reflex is monitored for up to five minutes and if it exists at that point, the animal is humanely euthanized (killed). This Phase of the program informs the researchers whether the mechanical forces in the particular trap are likely to be strong enough to kill the specific animal within three minutes before proceeding to the KILL/TEST (Phase IV) with unanesthetized animals. Should the trap not render the stipulated number of animals unconscious within the three-minute test time parameter, it may be re-evaluated for possible engineering improvements and resubmitted to the PRE-SELECTION PHASE.
When a trap successfully passes Phase III, it is then set in the compound as it would be on the trapline for KILL-TEST (Phase IV). Once again, a stipulated number of animals (this time unanaesthestized) must be successfully killed during this phase. Failure at this stage sends the trap back for further evaluation and possible modification. If successful during the first four phases, which are considered the screening phases, the trap is ready for PERFORMANCE CONFIRMATION (Phase V), where further KILL-TESTS are carried out to raise the statistical level of confidence that the animals on the trapline will be killed humanely. In comparison to many current trapping activities the testing standards are high but in the development of a trap for pine marten, it appears they can be met with practical trapping devices.
If the trap is successful during Phase V, it is then cleared for evaluation on traplines under CONTROLLED FIELD TESTS (Phase VI).
The MECHANICAL TESTING (Phase VII) can take place at any time and is ongoing. Reports of mechanical testing are prepared by the Project Team and provided to the Trap Research Committee of FIC. The FIC in turn reports to the inventors of these traps which had been preselected for certain testing at AEC.
To date, marten, mink and raccoon have been used, with most of the research and testing carried out using pine marten. Two different killing type traps were first chosen as they showed, from previous research and testing, the greatest potential for success in the shortest time. These were the "Kania" and various modifications of the "Conibear" trap series, both of which were approved as "offering humane potential".
Live-Hold Trapping Systems
Live -hold trapping systems are employed to capture 7-9% of the furbearing animals taken in Canada and in land sets provide certain advantages over killing traps. In research and testing of these systems, the Humane Trap Research and Development Committee of FIC considers several elements in evaluating their effectiveness.
In developing live-holding trapping devices, from a humane perspective, the first and most important objective is to effectively minimize trap-caused injury as well as injury the animal may self-inflict in its attempts to escape. A number of inventors have produced a variety of leg-holding snares, while others have designed modifications to the conventional foot-hold trap which are "padded" or otherwise altered to reduce the impact on the foot or leg. Several of these devices were field tested over two trapping seasons in Alberta. Results of the Alberta testing are being analysed and a report is anticipated next fall.
However, the greatest effort to date has been on field testing a live-holding device referred to as a "Soft Catch" trap. Greg Linscombe, a wildlife biologist from Louisiana, organized a nine-State field testing program which included 51 trappers who were each given one dozen conventional foot-hold traps and one dozen "Soft Catch" traps with specific instructions on how they should be set and on how to collect date.
The results are very encouraging. The "Soft Catch" traps significantly reduced damage to red and gray foxes and coyotes; in some regions as much as 90 percent. This was also the case for bobcat in some regions. Results were not quite as good for raccoon and more data on this species will be required.
As encouraging as these results were, concern remained as to the possible distress experienced by a wild animal due simply to restraint even in "soft" holding devices. What in fact are the extent of the physiological changes that take place in a restrained animal and what is its ability to adapt to certain stressors? To find answers to these questions, the FIC contracted with the University of Minnesota to carry out research on the physiological, pathological and behavioural response of red foxes to "padded", foot-hold traps. Researchers there have developed expertise in furbearer physiology and behaviour as well as biotelemetry (implanting radio telemetry devices in the stomach or chest cavity). The University also has access to a ten-acre (four hectare) fenced enclosure in North Dakota with ideal fox habitat, an observation tower and a natural fox den.
In comparing preliminary heart data of trapped (restrained)foxes with that of awake untrapped foxes, the researches reported that their early findings indicated that red foxes may adapt relatively quickly to the initial distress of being caught in the "soft" holding device. They reported that in monitoring the heart rate of trapped (restrained) foxes over an eight hour period, the initially elevated heart rate subsided to levels consistent with awake untrapped foxes after about 30-40 minutes. They pointed out also that a second elevation of heart rate occurred after about six hours in the trap and this coincided with sunrise. These results appear to support the need to visit live-hold trapping systems as early in the morning as possible, as recommended in trappers' manuals.
One major objective in carrying out research using live-hold traps is to recommend to trappers and wildlife biologists how these trapping systems can be improved. Information resulting from this type of research will no doubt also be helpful in drafting potential standards for live-hold trapping systems and toward further recommendations in trappers' manuals.
Given the fact that it took one year to construct the research facility at Vegreville and to get it fully operational, and the fact that the research team could only work with animals over about four months of the year, a great deal has been accomplished. The Project Team and others connected with the Animal Sciences Wing at the Alberta Environmental Centre are to be commended.