Trap Free Montana Public Lands recently released photos of a Great Blue Heron who died after becoming ensnared in a steel-jawed, leg-hold trap that had been placed in a Bitterroot waterway. The trap was likely intended for a beaver, but, with jaws that measured 8.5 inches across, was large enough to capture any animal, including wolves, deer, or mountain lions.
“The horror of this photograph must compel Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to tighten its too-lax trapping laws,” said KC York, President of Trap Free Montana Public Lands.
According to York, FWP Region 2 Warden Captain Joe Jaquith said that no citations were issued. The trapper received a warning for not reporting the heron.
Protected by the federal Migratory Bird Species Act, the incidental take—such as in a leg-hold trap—of a Great Blue Heron is illegal.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks permits trapping of Montana’s native wildlife such as beavers, bobcats, wolves and other mammals.
“Here is trapping in its raw, indiscriminate and horrid nature,” said KC York. “This innocent and once grand great blue heron traversed across the mud leaving its footprints, only to die an unimaginably cruel death in the shallow waters. Since we have no required trap check time interval, how long it suffered is unknown. It’s pure and simple: trappers endanger protected wildlife, people, and their animal companions alike.”
Traps indiscriminately capture and jeopardize any animal whose feet touch the ground, including pet dogs and protected, rare, and endangered animals.
Footloose Montana will hold a Trap-Release Workshop for pet owners on Sunday, February 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Bitterroot Public Library, 306 State Street in Hamilton. Learn what to look for to avoid traps, first aid, hands-on practice releasing traps, and what to carry with you to save your pet. This free event is sponsored by Montana Animal Care Association.