15/04/2019
Leicestershire
Rook Rescue has asked members of the public to be on the lookout for illegally
fitted Larsen traps. The traps use live corvid decoys – often Carrion
Crows or Eurasian
Magpies – to lure and then kill others of their kind. They are
legal, as long as they are fitted with clean food and water, a perch and
shelter from the wind and rain – unfortunately, however, this is rarely the
case, rendering many illegal.
The mesh
snares, known as the 'Box of Death', have one compartment with bait, and
another with twigs lying across an open cage. When a bird perches on them they
fall into the side cage and become stuck there. A spokesperson for the rook
rescue group said: "As wildlife rescuers we need to ensure that
the public is made aware of these traps and how they are being
misused. They cause a great deal of stress and suffering to the decoy bird
and death to those which are captured."
The
Organisation Against Corvid Traps (ACT) said that there are often no
provisions (food or water) left for the 'bait birds', which is an offence
under the Animal Welfare Act and the Wildlife and Countryside Act, and
explained that the countryside is littered with "disgusting medieval traps
that leave birds to die of hunger". The group added: "All too often
these birds have been left to die of hunger and thirst and in blazing hot sun.
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