The activity of animal trapping has two separate but related meanings. It describes the hunting of animals to obtain their furs, which are then used for clothes and other articles, or sold / bartered (see fur trade). Trapping also relates to the use of traps to catch animals for a variety of other purposes, most usually for food, wildlife management, or pest control.
Trapping other animals for food is also practiced by some animals and a few plants. For example, many species of spiders (see Spider web) and the Venus flytrap trap their prey.
History
Animal trapping is perhaps one of the first methods of hunting. Neolithic hunters, including the members of the Cucuteni-Trypillian culture of Romania and Ukraine (ca. 5500-2750 BC), used traps to capture their prey. A passage from the self-titled book by Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi describes Chinese methods used for trapping animals during the 4th century BC. The Zhuangzi reads, "The sleek-furred fox and the elegantly spotted leopard...can’t seem to escape the disaster of nets and traps.” "Modern" steel jaw-traps were first described in western sources as early as the late 16th century. The first mention comes from Leonard Mascall's book on animal trapping. It reads, "a griping trappe made all of yrne, the lowest barre, and the ring or hoope with two clickets." Traps were set in forests of large estates in England for poachers hunting on the land without permission. Soon after land had to be posted with signs warning men of such traps being set. The mousetrap, with a strong spring device spring mounted on a wooden base, was patented in 1910 by James Henry Atkinson, a trap maker from Leeds, Yorkshire, England.
Trapping was widely done in the early days of North American settlements, companies such as the Canadian fur brigade were established. Native Americans trapped fur bearing animals with pits, dead falls, and rudimentary snares. Europeans learned from the native Americans when they first arrived in eastern North America how to trap animals with deadfalls and pits. Leghold traps were later made in the 1700s by blacksmiths for trappers who requested that traps be made for them. In the mid 1800's, trap companies became established, making traps and fur strechers.
The monarchs and trading companies of Europe invested heavily in voyages of exploration. The race was on to establish trading posts with the natives of North America, as trading posts could also function as forts and legitimize territorial claims. The Hudson's Bay Company was one such business. They traded commodities such as rifles, pistols, knives, food, frying pans, pots or blankets were exchanged for furs from trappers and Native Americans.
Trappers and mountain men were the first European men to cross the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains in search of fur. They traded with Native Americans from whom they learned hunting and trapping skills.
The white trappers used steel leg hold traps as well as snares and dead falls. Beaver was one of the main animals of interest to the trappers as the fur wore well in coats and hats. Beaver hats became popular in the early 1800s but later the fashon changed. Towards the end of the century beaver became scarce in many areas and extirpated in others. The decline in key species of fur-bearers, due to over-harvesting, and the later emergence of the first regulatory laws marked the end of the heyday of unregulated trapping. Many trappers turned to buffalo hunting, serving as scouts for the army or leading wagon trains to Oregon, California and other parts of the American west. The trails that trappers used to get through the mountains were later used by settlers heading west.
Reasons for trapping
Trapping is done for a variety of reasons. Mostly it is practiced for food or fur but sometimes it is done for wildlife management or pest control. Fur-bearing mammals are targeted for their fur to be used in clothes and other articles. The dead animals are skinned, and the fur is used to make clothes or is sold or bartered.
For fur
A fur trapper is a person whose employment occupation involves the trapping of animals for their fur. In the early days of the colonization settlement of North America, the trading of furs was common between the settlers and the local Indians. Many locations at which trading took place were referred to as trading posts.
Trapping continues to be a profession in many areas around the world, although relatively few people make a full-time living from it. Competition from fur farming and fluctuating populations of wild animals have made trapping a minor industry. Fur prices have trended downward for many years, while costs have gone up, resulting in a dramatically lessened economic incentive.
Some species have collapsed to such an extent, in some locations, that harvesting them is entirely prohibited, particularly in the continental United States and in many parts of southern and western Europe. This is especially true of predator species such as the Canadian Lynx in much of the US. Yet certain other fur-bearing species, including beaver and coyote, have shown dramatic population increases in certain regions.
Popular quarry of fur trappers are: beaver, raccoon, wolverine, mink, ermine, American marten, bobcat, lynx, and muskrat.
For food
Animals may be trapped for food, Animals commonly trapped for food include rabbits, opossum, and raccoon.
Damage prevention
Animals are frequently trapped in many parts of the world to prevent damage to personal property, as well as the killing of livestock by predatory animals.
Other reasons
Animals may also be trapped for public display or for such purposes as obtaining elements used to the practice of traditional medicine.
Use of traps
Trapping requires time and energy but can be very efficient. Trapping may be safe and inexpensive for the trapper, but in modern times it has become controversial, because of its alleged cruelty. In part to address these concerns, in 1996, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, an organization made up of state and federal fish and wildlife agency professionals, began testing traps and compiling recommendations “to improve and modernize the technology of trapping through scientific research” known as Best Management Practices. As of October 2008, best management practice recommendations for trapping 10 common furbearers had been published.
Trapping is regularly used for pest control most commonly of beaver, coyote, raccoon, cougar, bobcat, Virginia opossum and fox in order to limit damage to farming, ranching, and property. Federal authorities in the United States use trapping as the primary means to control predators that prey on endangered species such as the San Joaquin kit fox ( Vulpes macrotis mutica ), California least tern ( Sterna antillarum browni ) and desert tortoise ( Gopherus agassizii ). Proponents claim that trapping can reduce numbers of predators in order to increase the populations of quarry species for hunting. They also claim that it can be used to control over population. Trapping is also used for research and relocation of wildlife.
Many wildlife biologists support the use of regulated trapping for sustained harvest of some species of furbearers. They claim that trapping can be an effective method of managing or studying furbearers, controlling damage caused by furbearers, and at times reducing the spread of harmful diseases. These biologists believe that regulated trapping is a safe, efficient, and practical means of capturing individual animals without impairing the survival of furbearer populations or damaging the environment. They also support regulatory and educational programs, research to evaluate trap performance and the implementation of improvements in trapping technology in order to improve animal welfare.
Despite regulations, trappers sometimes leave traps unattended for long periods of time and trap animals out of season, leading to fines, restitution and trapping license revocations.
Traps
Today most of the traps used can be easily divided into five types: foothold traps, body gripping traps, snares, cages and glue traps.
Foothold traps
Probably most commonly associated with trapping, the foothold trap is made up of two jaws, one or two springs, and a trigger in the middle which is usually a round pan. When the animal steps on the trigger the trap closes around the foot, preventing the animal from escaping. Usually some kind of lure is used to position the animal, or the trap is set on an animal trail. Foothold traps set for beaver, mink, river otter, and muskrat are positioned in shallow water along the shores and banks of rivers, lakes and ponds. Sometimes the trap is attached to a weight sunk in deeper water. The animal, when caught by the foot, tries to escape by diving into deep water and drowns. Traditionally, these traps had tightly closing jaws to make sure the animal stayed in place. These traps are made in various sizes from catching weasels to bears. At one time traps for wolves and bears had rounded teeth on the jaws to p
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