Scotland: Fox found dead in Edinburgh allotment due to illegal homemade snare

The SSPCA has released an appeal to the public for information after a dead fox was found in an illegal, homemade snare in an Edinburgh allotment

By John Gillespie
Edinburgh Live
Apr 21, 2022

Excerpt:

In Scotland, all snares are legally required to be marked with an identification tag so they can be more easily traced to the owners. However, the snare used to kill this fox did not include such a device.

The homemade snare, which was constructed from wires, also didn’t include a “stop”. A device designed to stop the snare from tightening after a certain point.

While there are calls to make all snares illegal, some snares in Scotland remain legal but only under specific circumstances.

People using snares must get an accreditation from the police and include an identification tag to all snares they set.

They must also include a safety stop of an appropriate size for the targeted species and not be placed in a way that can partially or completely suspend their target.

However, not only did the snare used to kill this fox lack many of these safety features, but all homemade snares are illegal in Scotland.

Read the complete article here.