In the hamlet of Baldwin, Nassau County, NY, USA, some residents are setting hunting traps in the neighbourhood, reports CBS local online. This is not believed to be the actions of a lone cat hating individual.
In all six traps have been spotted. The CBS report surprisingly says that that ‘some homeowners are setting them up’ implying that more than one person is setting these cruel traps. It implies and concerted group effort which would shock me as it must be illegal under NY’s animal welfare law. It appears that some residents are against the feral cats. But what about the outside domestic cats?
An SPCA officer (Nassau County SPCA Det. Al Eskanazy) did not say the hunting traps were illegal. He said that it was for the district attorney to decide. Well, if one of the traps – as has happened – grabs one of the outside cats, feral or domestic, in my view, it is animal cruelty. That’s certainly true for domestic cats and if the law is applied objectively and fairly it should also apply to feral cats because the law is there to protect animals from abuse and pain caused by people and cannot differentiate between feral, semi-feral, stray and domestic.
Residents are shocked to see these traps which can injure and kill cats and other animals. As I write it appears that one solid black cat is limping around the neighbourhood with a trap clamped to one of his forelegs. Volunteers are trying to catch him in a humane trap, the kind people use in TNR programs. Once achieved they will get him immediately to a veterinarian.
“When I first saw the trap I was mortified. I mean, who would do such a thing?” – Ursula Liptiz
One lady, Ursula Liptiz, removed a trap from a cat. She said it was hard to pull apart. She had to place the trap on the ground and push with both hands. That must have been difficult with a frightened cat in the trap.
Source: CBS Local
