Charities welcome ban on hare snares

ANIMAL charities have welcomed an end to snaring mountain hares in Scotland, after Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) confirmed it is no longer issuing licences.

An SNH review, published earlier this month, stated: ‘Concerns have been raised with SNH over the welfare impacts of snaring hares to the effect that it is difficult to advise on a method of snaring that does not cause unnecessary suffering – that they cannot be used effectively as a killing trap because animals take too long to die, and are not effective as a restraining means because there is too high a risk of killing or injury.

‘The lack of any apparent means or guidance to avoid this means that SNH will not be minded to issue licences unless the contrary can be evidenced.’

Harry Huyton, director of Scottish animal welfare charity OneKind, said: ‘This appears to be the final nail in the coffin for this cruel practice.

‘This decision is hugely significant because it effectively sets an unnecessary suffering test for wildlife management practices.

‘ We would like to see this approach applied to snaring other wild animals as well as other controversial and common traps used throughout Scotland. In terms of animal welfare, there is no difference between a mountain hare suffering in a snare and a fox suffering in a snare.’

The charity quoted an SNH study that estimated more than 5,000 mountain hares were trapped in snares and killed in Scotland in one year during 2006/ 7, and its own research that ‘the vast majority of this was taking place illegally, with estates setting snares without licences’.

Since 2012, it continued, SNH had issued only four licences that might have allowed snaring, and in 2016 two licences issued for mountain hare control were amended to remove snaring as a permitted method.

A second charity, Animal Concern Advice Line, urged the Scottish Government to ban the use of all snares in Scotland. ‘These cruel traps,’ it said, are used ‘to kill native wild animals which naturally predate on the eggs and young of tame non-native pheasants which are bred to be shot.’

Secretary John Robins said: ‘There must be no more tinkering with guidelines and minor modifications to snare designs.

‘The government’s own agency openly admits that snares cause unnecessary suffering. Snares should be totally banned now.’

Welcoming the report, cabinet secretary for the environment, climate change and land reform Roseanna Cunningham added: ‘ The review has highlighted that the legislative changes made to snaring regulations in 2011 appear to be working satisfactorily. However, I recognise there is room for further improvement in line with the findings of the review.’

The Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association did not comment.