Lynda Bell was confused and concerned after she found a dead songbird snagged in a rat trap on her front lawn one morning – a rat trap she didn’t place herself.
She said she assumes someone in her Cadboro Bay neighbourhood placed it on their own property and an animal dragged it onto hers, but she can’t be sure. Either way, Bell is concerned that innocent songbirds could be getting snagged instead of rodents.
“It’s quite a rich bird population around here,” she said. “It’s just full of life.”
By the looks of the bird, Bell thinks it was caught and then attacked by some other animal.
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Andrea Wallace, who manages wild animal welfare for BC SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) in Metchosin, said while snap traps may sometimes be necessary, prevention and exclusion methods or live traps are preferred.
By prevention and exclusion she means making sure there are no rodent attractants – spilled food, bird feed, nesting material or cluttered spaces – in or around homes and that any entry points are plugged.
If snap traps are needed, Wallace said they should be locked in a secure box so nothing else can get in or put in a place where nothing else can get to it. If they’re just left outside, they’re bound to catch creatures other than rodents.
Wallace added that if anyone finds an animal caught in a trap that is still alive, they can contact Wild ARC at 1-855-622-7722.
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