Relinquish these illegal traps so we can turn them into scrap metal - RSPCA SA
Following the latest incident in which an animal has found itself snapped by the serrated jaws of a steel-jaw trap, RSPCA South Australia is calling on anyone who owns one of these illegal devices to relinquish them to the organisation.
A man walking his dog last Sunday along Range Road, on the outskirts of Victor Harbor, stumbled across an echidna partially concealed by grass on the road's verge. When he approached, he discovered one of the animal's front legs had been caught in a steel-jaw trap.
Using considerable force, he managed to prise the rusty jaws open and release the injured animal. His partner is a volunteer with the Goolwa-based Wildlife Welfare Organisation of SA, so he took the animal to them and it is now being cared for by a specialist wildlife vet.
Steel-jaw traps are illegal in every Australian state. Anyone caught setting one can be fined a maximum penalty of $2500. If an animal is caught in a trap and harmed, the person responsible for setting the trap faces a potential further charge under SA's Animal Welfare Act of ill-treatment of an animal, which carries a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment or a $20,000 fine.
It is not illegal to own a steel-jaw trap and they are sometimes used for decorative purposes, but RSPCA SA Chief Inspector Andrea Lewis said the organisation wants them removed from the community completely so that no animal is at risk from them.
"We receive between five to ten callouts every year to animals caught in these awful devices, and they cause shocking injuries," Inspector Lewis said.
"Animals are frequently found in such poor condition that euthanasia is the only humane option, or they have to have the trapped limb amputated.
"A cat found caught in one at Taperoo in March struggled so hard to free himself he snapped his pelvis, and his broken leg couldn't be saved.
"We've got an incident under investigation now, involving a small dog that was badly injured after stepping on one.
"The cruelty and suffering is horrendous, it's hard to understand why anyone would want to own one of these things let alone use it.
"Most of them are probably rusting away in sheds, but some of them are being used and there's no doubt some trapped animals aren't being found, meaning they are dying in extreme pain.
"It's pure luck this echidna was found at all, and also that he wasn't trapped by his beak because these native animals explore the ground ahead with their delicate long beaks, and if that had been trapped he likely would not have survived."
RSPCA SA is encouraging people to drop the traps during opening hours at the organisation's Stepney head office or at any of the three shelters. They will be turned into scrap metal, with all funds raised going towards the care of animals at RSPCA shelters.
Traps can be dropped to RSPCA SA at THESE locations.
