LEG HOLD TRAPS OR GIN TRAPS AND LEG SNARES

Actully the first two names both apply to the same equipment. However we need to make a destiction between the great variety of these steel jawed traps as far as the quality, humaneness, and other attributes are concerned. The function of these traps are to restrain animals and are not instruments of torture to axact revenge on the animals. South Africa never had a fur industry to stimulate a market for trapping equipment. The spotted cats are hunted rather than trapped. Traps are only used to get rid of damage causing animals (or sometimes poaching). The market for traps thus is tiny in comparison with countries with furbearing animals. We imported any old trap that seemed to be able to stop the utilization of livestock by any of our high diversity of predators. We never had really high quality traps and there has been no development of the traps.

Only in about the nineteen eighties were gin traps manufactured in South Africa to a large extent. However this was done with a disregard for the most important attributes for what is accepteble and what is not acceptable in gin traps. When a proper choise is made out of the large variety of sizes and other attributes of traps in a country like the USA, the chances are that you end up with a trap well suited for your need. We have no real choise and end up with having to use an "average" trap that is not matched to any of our animals. On top of this, not many people have the knowledge of what the attributes and proper application the traps entail. Then there also are very few people with the necessary behavioral, sensorial and ecological knowledge to apply traps properly.

In spite of all this I feel that leg hold traps are an indespensible tool in our proper management of the conflict resolution between man and livestock predators. Some reasons for this are given in IMPORTANT CONCEPTS. In the hands of a well trained and, preferably, well experienced person, leg hold traps turn into selective and very effective conflict resolution tools that we hardly can afford to be without. What might be considered is a permit system by which only trained handlers should be allowed to use leg hold traps.

To sum up: What we need in South Africa is a choise of proper traps and training in their proper use. This is what this webpage is all about. Though, if the problem could be completely resolved by a few paragraphs on the internet, it would not have been  problem to start off with. This serves only as an awareness exercise. The only way to become an acceptable leg hold trap user is by attending a course that lasts a few days and include the crucial aspects of trap choise, trap site choise and practical setting of traps. This differ markedly between species and therefore physical and behavioral issues of the target species has to be included.

Because these traps have become so controvercial and because of the lack of knowledge about them, we look at these trap in a fair amount of detail. The setting of traps, however, is a different matter and only an overview is given. Learning to choose the right trap site and setting traps properly can only be done in pactical training. Training courses will be presented on request.

Trap characteristics:

Technical matters:

                                            Kinds of traps (by spring)

Solid blade spring Moveable blade spring Blade spring under pan Spiral springs

                                                Kinds of trap (by jaw)

Wavey jaws, no opening Thin jaws, small opening Spiked jaws Broad jaws, broad opening
       
   
  Neck trap Cable (leg snare)  

The most important aspect of trap design is the ratio of spring strength and the thickness o the jaw face tha touch the animals' leg. If this is too weak the animal could pull its legout of the trap. If the spring is too strong and the jaw too thin, the leg is broken by the impact. Both of these faults exist in traps sold in South Africa. The further cause of injury is that the thin-jawed traps are often made by pressing out of sheet metal. This leaves sharp corners that cut the skin - and muscle or sinew as the animal struggles. Even when a non-traget animal was caught and somehow the leg did not break, the cut injury is so bad that the animal has to be destryed anyway. When caught only by the toes, the trap is often found only with the amputated toes and an escaped, but a maimed animal. The most popular trap sold in South Africa unfortunately falls into this catagory - it exhibits all these bad characteristics. This trap, supposed to be right for caracal, has even caused loss of toes to leopard in the Cape mountainous areas. This has given traps a bad name and is threatening to get a very useful tool banned for damage control because of this aspect.

Wavey jaws and spikes invariably causes unnecessary injury and should be voided. The opening between jaws helps to prevent bone breaks, as well as preventing blood and nerves being squeesed to the extent of cutting of circulation and feeling. Animals sometimes chew off their own foot when it get totally numb and feelingless, thereby escaping the trap. Checking traps twice a day (morning and afternoon) an prevent such occurances. When checking a trap that has not been sprung, it is imortant not to leave smell or other desturbances to scare off the target animal. Cheking from a distance, from a vehicle or from horseback can overcome this problem (just steer the horse clear of the trap!).

I would suggest that traps should be legally submitted to specifications, and only reasonable traps allowed for use - the bad ones can thus be elliminated.

The different spring types of quality traps does not affect their use much. The main difference lies in the size of the hole thathas to be dug out to hide the trap. The longer blade springs also adds an amount of leverage that makes it more difficult  to set it stable enoungh to prevent movement when the animal steps on the spring.

In the illustrations above is also dipicted a leg snare. The principals of setting this trap is very similar to the ordinary traps. What is very important is the cage of the cable and the two stops. One to stop the loop from closing to tightly and thus damaging the leg, and the other that prevent the lop from opening. The cable traps have become much more popular recenty, but thus far the rate of capture is slightly less than for solid jaw traps.

Size

Obviously enough, larger animals need larger traps. But what if larger traps are used for smaller animals? This invariably leads to injury to the smaller animal. Great care has to be applied when setting traps to reasonably avoid the capture of non-traget animals. However some traps are sold as suitable for both the jackal and caracal. The variety of trap sizes and the  difference between these two animals are such that different traps sizes should be used. This will also play quite a role in limiting unacceptable injury to jackal.

Behavioral concepts:

When reading literature on damage control it is often stated that trap location is the most important single factor in selectivity. This is true for all control/capture metods. Lures etc. play a seconary (though still important) role. Determining which individual animal is the damage causing one, and therefore the target is crucial. The next step is detemining how to selectively target that individual. These aspects cannot be adequately be described in writing. This level of expertees can only be achieved through practical training and exprience. 

Setting traps

The same comments on the level of expertees needed for the above apply to properly setting leg hold traps. Burying the trap to the right depth, orientation and with adaquate care in comouflage, both olfactory and visually, takes a high level of skill. The proper application of lures finishes a set that makes all the difference in chances of capture of the target individual.