Don’t get caught out by traps on the moors

Police are urging members of the public not to interfere with wildlife traps in rural areas, after a number of legal traps were damaged on the North York Moors.

Legal traps play an important part in reducing predation of eggs and chicks of ground nesting birds such as lapwings, curlews and grouse.

Traps such as cage traps, Larsen traps and ladder traps contain a live bird of a “pest species”, which attracts other similar birds that enter the trap and cannot escape.

The “pest species” list includes crows, magpies, jays and rooks, and is maintained by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

These traps are legal to use, as long as certain criteria are met. The trap must contain a perch for the bird, water and food. The trap must be checked at least once each day, and any birds or animals not on the pest species list must be released unharmed.

PC Andy Marsden, a Wildlife Crime Officer at North Yorkshire Police, said: “It is important that legal traps are not interfered with, as they play a part in reducing the predation of eggs and chicks of ground nesting birds such as lapwings, curlews and grouse.

“If you discover one of these traps and you are not certain of its use, please do not take it upon yourself to interfere with it. If you have concerns, photograph the trap i n situ, get a GPS location if possible, and contact North Yorkshire Police so we can investigate. We take such reports very seriously, and will take decisive action against people who commit wildlife crime.”

Contact North Yorkshire Police by dialling 101, select option 1, and pass information to the Force Control Room.

North Yorkshire Police has a number of specialist Wildlife Crime Officers, and a comprehensive wildlife crime resource centre online at www.northyorkshire.police.uk/wildlifecrime.