Dog owners in the Burns Lake area are concerned about the safety of their dogs after at least four dogs have been caught in traps in the Burns Lake area over the past few months.
Rose Lake resident Stuart Abels, who owns five dogs, said he had a nerve-racking experience just a few days before Christmas.
Abels was walking his dogs down Rose Lake Cutoff Road, approximately 300 metres from his driveway, when he heard one of his dogs scream. His dog was caught in a conibear trap, which consists of two rectangular frames with a trigger, that when activated, slams shut on the body.
The trap was set in a field adjacent to the main road which, according to Abels, is a private land.
Abels tried to rescue his dog, but since he had a broken shoulder at the time, he was unable to do so. He then called two of his neighbours to help him out. By the time the neighbours arrived, his dog was unconscious and they were able to remove the dog from the trap. The dog survived the incident with minor injuries.
Although Abels said he felt “lucky” his dog didn’t die, he was angry about what happened.
“As soon as everything was under control, I was thinking about what happened and I got angry,” he said. “If people are out there setting traps, I want to know where they are so I don’t take my dogs out there.”
Abels is not the only local resident concerned about this issue.
Another local resident who asked not to be named said she recently rescued two dogs caught in snares off the Guyishton Lake trail. She said she was hiking with her two dogs when she came across a dog trapped in a snare.
“The dog was down to the ground, choking,” she described.
She decided to help the dog out, but as she was rescuing it, her own dog got snared. She was eventually able to save both dogs.
However, not all dogs have the same luck when it comes to wildlife traps. A German shepherd was recently killed after being snared in the same area while out for a walk with its owners.
Given the recent incidents, Burns Lake resident Matt Matus decided it was time to take action. Last week he placed a sign on the Guyishton Lake trail warning dog owners about active trap lines.
“Do not walk your pets here,” reads the sign.
Matus said he decided to post the sign after he saw a young man walking his gold retriever last week, unaware of the active trap lines nearby.
“He had no idea that there were traps around that area,” said Matus. “People think that’s a great place to walk their dogs and little do they know that there are snares on the side of the trail.”
“People need to be aware of this because it is a scary situation,” added Matus.
“Current trapping regulations are adequate,” says conservation officer
Burns Lake conservation officer Jeff Palm said local conservation officers have investigated three instances of dogs being caught in wildlife traps just this winter.
“Certain types of traps such as snares or conibear traps have been designed to quickly kill an animal and minimize suffering, so unfortunately for our pets these traps often do just that,” said Palm. “In Northern B.C., active trap lines can be found along just about any roadway or snowmobile trail outside of town.”
Palm said the current trapping regulations are adequate and that it’s up to the public to ensure they are operating within the law.
“We all love our pets and it is tragic when they are accidentally harmed, but stricter regulations would not have prevented any of these events from happening,” he said. “The public can minimize the danger for their pets by simply leashing them and avoiding wild areas in the winter months when trapping occurs.”
Palm pointed out that the Canadian economy was originally founded on the fur trade, which has led to an evolution of restrictions under each province’s provincial wildlife legislation.
“These regulations require trappers to be trained and licensed, abide by seasons and to have permission to trap on private property or a registered trap line,” he said. “Traps must meet strict requirements for each target species and cannot be set near residences or on provincial hiking trails.”
“Trapping is a valuable wildlife management tool,” continued. “Trappers are contracted on a regular basis by municipalities to stop beavers from flooding out culverts.”
“Several other northern communities have lost pets to wolves and coyotes within town limits,” he added. “Trappers are often the only solution.”
The public is encouraged to report any unlawful trapping to the report all poachers and polluters hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
Licensed trap owner apologizes
Burns Lake resident Stephen Burkholder, who set the snare near the Guyishton Lake trail that recently killed a German shepherd, said he was “very sorry about the dog killed in his trap.”
“My boys are feeling very bad about this; they love the challenges of trapping and getting out in the bush; they have spent all their spare time in the bush,” he said. “We are animal lovers and have dogs of our own that are a part of our family.”
Burkholder said he was “not aware of any troubles” until the end of January, when he was contacted by conservation officer Jeff Palm and advised of the German shepherd that was killed.
Lakes District News asked Palm if he had tried reaching out to trappers such as Burkholder when pets started being snared earlier in the season. Palm said he couldn’t comment on specifics of investigations.
“All trapping in B.C. falls under the jurisdiction of the Wildlife Act,” said Palm. “Conservation officers prioritize any human health or property issue arising from hunting or trapping.”
Burkholder said he and his family are removing all the big traps and snares near the Guyishton Lake trail.
“We are a part of the community and don’t want to be a negative impact on people enjoying the outdoors,” he said.
“We had previously put signs on one of the trails that we thought may have had some other activity on it,” he added. “We will closely look at how we can avoid this happening again by putting up signs and also we will keep the the snares and traps that are able to catch dogs in a location that is not in proximity where people may be walking their dogs.”
No requirement for trappers to warn people
The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals (The Fur-Bearers) points out that, according to current legislation, signs warning dog walkers of traps in the area are not a requirement.
“Too often we hear, ‘Had I known there were traps, I wouldn’t have gone there’ or ‘I wouldn’t have let my dog run off leash,’ said Michael Howie with The Fur Bearers. “But there is no requirement for a trapper to warn people that devices that can injure or kill their pets, and potentially their children, are in an area frequented.”
“They can, and do, place baited traps only feet from publicly accessible trails,” he continued. “The Fur-Bearers are strong proponents of common sense updates to trapping policies to reflect the multi-use nature of areas that trapping occurs with signage and increased setbacks from publicly accessible trails.”
Howie said The Fur-Bearers have met with minister of forests Steve Thomson, as well as his staff, to discuss these issues.
“Yet the ministry has only said they are reviewing policies and not made any significant changes to trapping policies in this manner in recent years,” he said.
Province says regulations have been “sufficient”
According to the provincial government, anyone setting a trap must have a valid licence, issued by the province.
Non-licensed use of leg-hold traps is illegal under the Wildlife Act. Any violation of these regulations constitutes an offence that could result in consequences from a fine to a court appearance.
Licensed trappers in B.C. can set their lines on Crown land and they are not required to warn the public. However, it is an offence to trap within 200 metres of a residence.
According to the Ministry of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations, the 200 metre regulation has been “sufficient in the past.”
“However, we are open to review should there be emerging circumstances,” said the ministry in a statement. “The province is looking at signs or other means to improve safety to pets.”
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service receives approximately eight reports annually of pets being caught in traps.
B.C. Trappers Association says dog owners have a responsibility
According to B.C. Trappers Association president Brian Dack, there’s no doubt that dogs are being caught in wildlife traps. However, he says it’s mostly due to illegal activity.
“We’re getting a bad reputation for guys who are trapping and are not licensed trappers and are using outdated techniques and outdated equipment.”
Dack said the public needs to be more aware of what their obligations are.
“People cannot have their dog at large when they’re walking; it has to be on a leash,” he said. “The dogs have to be in your control.”
“The trapper owns the right to trap, and we’re not going to be placing signs where every trap is, that’s for sure, because the theft would be incredible,” he continued. “People just need to be more observant of what is going on.”
When asked again about the idea of placing signs near traps, Dack said he wouldn’t mind seeing signage up, as long as the provincial government pays for it.
With regards to implementing tougher regulations, Dack said regulations are “very stringent as it is.”
“If someone is committing an offence, charge them,” he said.
A petition is being started in Burns Lake
Brandie Baker, owner of Bakers Acres Kennel in Burns Lake, said she plans to start a petition asking elected officials to address the issue of pets being caught in wildlife traps.
The petition will ask for a digital public map showing each and every live trap location, as well as a fully fenced off leash dog park.
“I would love to see a large portion of this expense paid for by trappers and the government that stands behind them,” said Baker.
Government currently provides an application called iMap which shows the general area where trap lines are located. However, the application does not show the exact location of active traps. The application can be accessed at http://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/sv/imapbc/. For more information, call 1-877-855-3222.
