Latest victim in RSPCA SA care after suffering in agony for days before rescue
RSPCA South Australia is again reminding people that the use of steel jaw traps is illegal.
The organisation's inspectorate is currently investigating three incidents reported in the past ten days involving cats that have suffered serious injuries after being caught in the traps.
Incident 1 - On Sunday 5 January a cat jumped a fence into a neighbour's property and landed on a trap. The owner heard his pet in distress and sought a relative's help to retrieve the cat and take her to a vet, with the trap still attached. The four-year-old female cat had her injured back leg amputated and is recovering from the trauma.
Incident 2 - On Wednesday 8 January a Magill vet clinic notified RSPCA SA of a cat brought in that morning by a council animal management officer with a steel jaw trap attached to his right front paw. The officer caught the cat after a member of the public reported seeing the animal attempting to walk with the trap attached along a road in Athelstone. At the vet, the cat was immediately sedated and the trap removed. The cat is a 10-year-old desexed male named Oliver, who is microchipped. However, an investigation of the microchip details established that Oliver's elderly owner died last November, and ownership had not been transferred to anyone else. Vets suspect that Oliver had endured the trap crushing his paw for days, and his thin condition indicates he has been living rough for some time. Oliver remains in RSPCA SA care and at this stage it is unsure if the injured paw will need to be amputated.
Incident 3 - Report received by RSPCA SA on Friday 10 January, but incident is alleged to have occurred in October last year. Cat found on neighbour's property by owner with steel jaw trap on leg. Vet examination revealed ligament and soft tissue damage, but no bones broken.
RSPCA SA acting chief inspector Emma Shepley says offenders will be prosecuted, with a case of alleged illegal use of a steel jaw trap before the courts now.
"These illegal traps cause horrific injuries, and it is highly likely that some animals caught in them are never found, meaning they suffer unimaginable pain until finally dying," Inspector Shepley said. "We urge anyone who has a steel jaw trap to turn it into scrap metal so that it can never be used."
