A dead fox has been found caught in a snare, a cruel animal trap which was recently banned by the Welsh government, on a Merthyr Tydfil common.
The shocking incident was witnessed and photographed by Cardiff resident Caroline Nightingale who was visiting Gelligaer Common near Merthyr Tydfil three days before Christmas, as one of a group of five people feeding the ponies there.
She reported the incident to animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports which campaigned successfully to outlaw these barbaric traps consisting of thin wire nooses which tighten around their victim.
Caroline Nightingale said: “I’m a big animal lover and was horrified by the incident as was everyone who was with me.
“I just felt so sorry for the poor thing. I’ve never seen anything like that and it was so cruel.”
Wales became the first country in the United Kingdom to ban these cruel and indiscriminate traps on October 17 last year, in a bid to end the pain and suffering they cause to animals.
They were used predominantly by shooting industry gamekeepers to trap wildlife on land where non-native pheasants and partridges are released in huge numbers simply to be shot.
Up to 51,000 of these cruel devices lay hidden in the Welsh countryside at any one time before the ban according to Defra figures.
The same research showed almost three quarters of the animals caught are not the intended target species such as hares, badgers, otters and even people’s pets.
Shahinoor Alom, public affairs officer in Wales at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “This distressing scene illustrates that the Welsh public needs to remain vigilant and to report any sightings of these barbaric devices to our Animal Crimewatch service and local police.
“Wales is leading the way in reducing the cruelty and suffering animals have faced and the Welsh Government has a strong commitment to strong animal welfare standards – but we need to ensure that the criminal use of snares is ended once and for all.”
The incident was reported to the League Against Cruel Sports Animal Crimewatch service which enables the public to report cruelty inflicted on animals in the name of ‘sport’
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