Demand an End to Recreational Trapping in Vermont!

Each year in Vermont, traps injure, maim and kill both targeted and non-targeted animals, including bobcats, otters, owls, eagles and our pets. Thirteen pets were *reported* trapped last year, including two dogs that died in traps set for wildlife.

According to Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s 2022 Furbearer Newsletter, an average of 8,847 furbearers have been trapped annually since 2011. Furbearer species include river otters, foxes, bobcats, and ten other species. This figure does not include non-targeted animals like owls, turtles, and other non-furbearers. According to a 2022 furbearer survey conducted at the request of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, 68% of Vermonters oppose recreational trapping and 62% of Vermonters oppose trapping for fur or clothing.

Brenna Galdenzi, President of Protect Our Wildlife, shared that efforts to ban or restrict trapping are not new to Vermont. “The Vermont public has spoken in various surveys and it is clear that the majority oppose trapping and killing animals merely for tradition, recreation, or to peddle pelts to China and Russia,” Galdenzi said. "Wildlife is facing unprecedented threats, many of them precipitated by the effects of climate—we should be looking at how we can better protect wildlife, not haphazardly injuring and killing untold numbers of animals for sport."

Bill H.191 seeks to abolish the recreational trapping season that will save countless animals from leghold and body-crushing kill traps. Learn more about the bill here: https://www.protectourwildlifevt.org/_files/ugd/5073cd_bb7961c10acd4b8b82428d9af91c73e6.pdf