Howling For Wolves comments on DNR investigation of wolf snared, 600+ illegal snares set in Northern Minnesota

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 15, 2017

CONTACT: Dr. Maureen Hackett, Howling For Wolves, 612.250.5915
or Leslie Rosedahl, LWRosedahl@locklaw.com, 651.353.1818.

Howling For Wolves comments on DNR investigation of wolf snared, 600+ illegal snares set in Northern Minnesota

(St. Paul, Minn.) – Recently two men were charged with illegally using over 600 snares in Northern Minnesota. A wolf was one of the many animals snared, which prompted the lengthy investigation by the MN Department of Natural Resources.

Dr. Maureen Hackett, founder and president of Howling For Wolves, a Minnesota-based wolf advocacy organization, said in response:

“Snares, the cruelest method of trapping, are unselective, as both wild and domestic animals get caught in these wire nooses that are supposed to strangle them to death. Many animals, however, are maimed and then die in a prolonged death. It’s time Minnesota join the growing number of 20+ states that have banned this horrific practice of killing wild animals.”

“Are our forests filled with these landmines to catch and maim whoever and whatever animals happen by? This investigation reveals they are – and it could be the tip of the iceberg. I think the DNR and our forests have some serious issues, and a snaring ban would be the first step to resolving the illegal assaults on wildlife and animals.”

Howling For Wolves supports current state legislation that would eliminate snaring of all wildlife: House File 2160, authored by Representatives Fischer, Loon, Kunesh-Podein, Rosenthal, Ward, Slocum, Allen, and Dehn, R. and its companion bill, Senate File 1447, authored by Senators Hoffman, and Wiger.

A ban on snaring would eliminate trapping that uses cheap wire nooses to kill animals. Snares are put out year-round by the hundreds. They are difficult to see and can hurt pets and people. Snares kill and maim many animals that are not targeted including dogs, pheasants, wolves, moose, and songbirds. Snares often catch body parts and cause amputations, disembowelment, excruciating disabilities, and of course, death. When the wolf is snared around the neck, he suffers a prolonged and painful death of brain swelling and bleeding many times until he is killed by blunt force (to preserve the pelt).

Twenty (20) states have outlawed the use of snares to trap animals. The bill, HF 2160/SF 1447, allows for an exception for use of snares in authorized predator-control programs.

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Howling For Wolves is a Minnesota-based wolf advocacy organization that formed in 2012 to educate the public about the wild wolf to foster tolerance and to ensure the wolf’s long-term survival. Howling For Wolves opposes recreational wolf hunting and trapping and all wildlife snaring. We currently support the continuation of federal protections for the wolf by the Endangered Species Act.