Fox dies in a snare in Wales, the National Anti Snaring Campaign investigates
The National Anti Snaring Campaign investigators have visited the site of a fox found dead in a snare in early January 2024 in Wales.
This is the first reported example of snaring in Wales since the Welsh Senedd banned snaring last summer.
Rather than simple post or tweet about it to gain cheap publicity, we sent our investigators to visit the site and carry out a full survey of the area.
The area was a fence near a road just south of the Biffa refuse dump that lies just east of Merthyr Tidfil. A lady was putting out a few Christmas leftovers for the horses that are semi wild, when she discovered the dead fox attached to a snare fixed to a fence. It was not a shooting area but does have sheep and horses and a land registry search shows it is owned by David Lewis of Pontypool, the sole owner of Geraint Morgan Legacy Limited, an open cast mining company.
Police are investigating and we have written to the land owner. The snare was an AB type that had been attached to a fence, so was essentially illegally set in the first place and then forgotten. No other snares were found nearby.
Snare ban in Wales is weakened by the ease of purchase in England and online
With the majority of snaring carried out by gamekeepers, we expect to see a dramatic decline in snaring reports, but can still expect isolated instances while snares can be bought in England and online.
Progress being made in England
With Scotland banning snares this year, the NASC visited Nick Bagshaw, DEFRA’s head of Wildlife policy in London, accompanied by Professor Stephen Harris, to press for England to ban snares. We presented evidence and pointed out the shadow DEFRA Minister has made it clear that banning snares will be in Labour’s “To Do List” if elected. We know that since our meeting, the RSPCA and Animal Aid have been consulted on their views on snaring. No doubt groups like the BASC and GWCT have also been consulted. We can say that for the first time in 30 years of our campaign, time is on the wing for snaring.
We upset the Countryside Alliance in Scotland
NASC commissioned Professor Stephen Harris to write a report to pre-empt any amendments to the proposed Scottish snaring ban.
His report: Is there a case to allow snares to be used to undertake scientific research on foxes in
Scotland?
This resulted in a stinging rebuke from Scottish Countryside Alliance Director, Jake Swindells, in an article published in Farming Scotland magazine. The irony is that the majority of the evidence presented comes from the work of the GWCT. Prof. Harris has just interpreted the data!
“I have just today read a scientific report by Professor Stephen Harris BSc PhD DSc who states ‘There is no evidence that professional/highly experienced operators catch fewer non-target species than other users…’ It leaves me to wonder what experience in snaring the Professor actually has. The GWCT, an independent scientific research organisation, seem to think otherwise and have also submitted evidence to parliament that has been brushed under the carpet, and they have extensive snaring and trapping experience.”