Welfare performance of animal traps
Background
 |
The Warrior trap |
The following information relates to the welfare performance of traps used in New Zealand for capturing and/or killing small to medium-sized mammals. The tests relate to the welfare performance of the traps, NOT to their capture efficiency, safety, costs, or target specificity.
In New Zealand, trap use is regulated by the Animal Welfare Act 1999. This Act permits any trap to be used for trapping any species, but it also enables the Minister of Agriculture to recommend to the Governor General traps that should be prohibited because they cause unacceptable pain and suffering.
To enable the welfare performance of traps to be assessed in a standardised way, the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) has developed a trap-testing guideline. This guideline is available from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) website at:
(www.biosecurity.govt.nz/animal-welfare/nawac/policies/guideline09.htm)
MAF has recently publicly notified the prohibition of some leg-hold (foot-hold) traps, including the Lanes-Ace gin trap (and similar long-spring traps) and double-coil spring traps of a size 1½ and larger. This prohibition does not restrict the use of the smaller no. 1 models. Details of the dates that prohibition applies from for the different trap types, and changes to the distance that traps can be set from dwellings, can be found at: (www.biosecurity.govt.nz/animal-welfare/req/traps/legholdtraps).
Results
The following table gives the results of kill-trap tests carried out by Landcare Research, showing which traps killed their target animals quickly and consistently enough to meet the NAWAC guidelines. These results DO NOT imply the traps have been approved by NAWAC, MAF, or Landcare Research, because the Welfare Act 1999 does not enable the Minister to approve traps, but only to prohibit traps.
There are no legal requirements for trap manufacturers or suppliers to submit traps for testing, so some commercially available traps might be available for purchase that have not been tested.
The welfare of trapped animals does not depend solely on the trap, but also on how the trap is baited, and where and how the trap is set. Information on how to improve the welfare of trapped animals is provided in the National Possum Control Agencies Publications 'A' series: best practice guidelines for controlling and monitoring vertebrate pests.
For details of trap suppliers see:
http://possumdss.landcareresearch.co.nz/possum_dss/info/Trap&baitstationsuppliers.html
The testing of traps and identification of traps that perform poorly will, over time, ensure the welfare of trapped animals in New Zealand improves. Results from pen and field-based research will continue to add to our ‘best practice’ knowledge of how traps can best be used to trap a range of target species.
Target species
Feral cat |
|
| Trap model | |
| Belise SuperX in wooden tunnel | Pass |
| BMI 160 in wooden tunnel | Fail |
| Conibear 220 in wooden tunnel | Fail |
| Set n Forget | Fail |
| Steve Allan set at top of leaning board | Pass |
| Timms | Pass |
| Steve Allan (two springs) set in a Philproof Fenn trap tunnel | Pass |
Ferret |
|
| Trap model | |
| Belise SuperX | Fail |
| Conibear 120 | Fail |
| DOC 250 | Pass |
| Holden Multikill | Fail |
| KBL tunnel | Fail |
| Possum Master | Fail |
| S&F | Fail |
| Set n Forget | Fail |
| Timms | Fail |
| Tunnel trap | Fail |
| Warrior | Fail |
Hedgehog |
|
| Trap model | |
| DOC 150 | Pass |
| DOC 200 | Pass |
| DOC 250 | Pass |
Norway Rat |
|
| Trap model | |
| DOC 150 | Pass |
| DOC 200 | Pass |
| DOC 250 | Pass |
| Nooski | Pass |
Possum |
|
| Trap model | |
| Possum Master | Fail |
| Sentinel | Pass |
| Set n Forget | Pass |
| Steve Allan | Fail |
| Timms | Fail |
| Warrior | Pass |
Ship Rat |
|
| Trap model | |
| DOC 250 | Pass |
Stoat |
|
| Trap model | |
| DOC 150 | Pass |
| DOC 200 | Pass |
| DOC 250 | Pass |
| Fenn Mk4 | Fail |
| Fenn Mk6 | Fail |
| Victor snap-back professional | Fail |
Updated May 2008