A $6,000 reward for information on whoever laid a trap that led to the death of a Lower Mainland raccoon is the largest ever offered by a local animal rights group.
The Fur-Bearers, an advocacy group opposed to trapping, offered a $1,000 reward last week, after a raccoon found trapped in Delta had to be euthanized at Langley’s Critter Care Wildlife Society.
The raccoon was found trapped in a tree on May 17 near Delta’s 17A Avenue, its paw badly injured by the trap.
After The Fur-Bearers announced a reward, Gail Martin, executive director of Critter Care, announced she would also donate $1,000 of her own money to double the amount for information leading to the person who set the trap.
PREVIOUSLY: $2,000 reward for info on suburban trap after raccoon dies
Since the news story about the reward appeared in the North Delta Reporter and Langley Advance Times, a flood of further donations have come in from supporters of both The Fur-Bearers and Critter Care.
The total reward is now more than $6,000, said Lesley Fox, executive director of The Fur-Bearers. It’s the largest reward they’ve ever offered.
“It goes to show how concerned people are with wildlife,” she said.
Critter Care’s staff and volunteers are the ones who receive many trapped and injured wild animals, Fox noted. In recent years, there have been trapping incidents in several Lower Mainland municipalities, including in Langley last year.
Most types of traps are illegal to use within 200 metres of a dwelling, except for live box traps on land or certain kinds of traps in water. Anyone trapping on private property in B.C. needs both a licence and written permission of the property owner.
The Fur-Bearers object to trapping in general.
“Legally set or not, animals can still suffer,” Fox said.
It’s unknown who is setting the traps that pop up from time to time in Metro Vancouver, but Fox said she believes most of them are set by people who are trying to control animals they see as pests.
A better way to control human-wildlife interactions is to manage and avoid creating situations that attract wildlife. Residents should avoid overflowing bird feeders and outdoor pet food, not put out recycling that still has food on cans and bottles, keep garbage secure, and secure homes and sheds to prevent animals from entering.
Critter Care and The Fur-Bearers are asking anyone with information about this incident to contact the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) Line at 1-877-952-7277. Anonymous information can be submitted online at forms.gov.bc.ca/environment/rapp/ as well.
