Suffering Or Necessary Management Tool?

According to this survey of wildlife and fisheries conservation professionals, 46% of respondents support a ban on the use of leghold traps, while 39% oppose it, and 15% have no opinion.

46% of conservation professionals support a ban on the use of leghold traps due to the belief that they cause unnecessary pain or stress for animals, they may harm non-targeted animals, and they are not a necessary management tool.

The most frequently mentioned reasons for supporting the continued use of leghold traps include efficiency of “harvest,” usefulness as a tool for managing furbearing animals, and that they do not adversely affect furbearing animal populations.

Opinions differed by organization, employer, gender, and whether or not the respondent was or was not an active hunter/trapper, indicating that conservation professionals have a diverse opinion, like the general public.