Since 2013, Wyoming Untrapped has focused on trapping law reform and how to help prevent pets from getting caught in dangerous traps. This was in part driven by the delisting of wolves from the Endangered Species Act and several dogs being trapped and injured.
“And so we decided that we would choose to do a statewide organization that would raise awareness to prevent these types of accidents and non-target incidents and to try to, well basically for trapping reform to actually modernize the regulations we have today,” said Lisa Robertson, the president and board director of the non-profit.
Robertson says the traps people use to hunt animals like wolves or beavers can trap one to three animals outside of the target animal. She says occasionally, the traps will catch even more. When this happens, the animals are injured before the target animal is captured.
However, according to James Pierce, the southeast director of the Wyoming State Trappers Association, who has been a trapper for 47 years, the traps they use are Business Management Practices certified for humane trapping. He disputes the claims of domestic animals being trapped and says that whenever dogs are trapped, they were under improper supervision under their owners.
“Every trapper, we believe, should have that compassionate component in their values and get to those animals as quickly as possible, especially if they're non-target animals and they have a better chance of surviving once they're released,” Robertson said.
While the initiative is growing, especially in Laramie, the home of the southeast part of the Wyoming State Trappers Association, the nonprofit is looking for more advocates in not only Wyoming but also in Idaho. Volunteers and donations are appreciated. If you want to volunteer or donate or even become an ambassador, whether in Wyoming or Idaho, you can visit their website here. You can also check out the Wyoming State Trappers Association here.