Many of our readers will already know what a pole trap looks like, but for those who don’t, here’s a photograph of one (taken recently in Scotland).
These traps were outlawed in the UK in 1904 but are still in regular (illegal) use today. They are nothing short of barbaric. They are often positioned on posts close to game-rearing pens or on exposed posts on grouse moors with the sole intention of catching a perching raptor. When the raptor lands on the trap the spring jaws snap around the leg(s) with such force that the leg is usually broken. When the raptor tries to fly away it is prevented from doing so as the spring trap is nailed to the post. The raptor is left dangling from the post with appalling injuries and usually suffers a prolonged and agonising death (see Tuesday’s photo here).
If you see a pole trap you should report it immediately (to the police, SSPCA, RSPB). If you have to walk away from the trap (e.g. to get a phone signal), take a photograph of the set trap (preferably with a local landscape feature in the background so the photo can be used as evidence) and then disarm it. Use a stick to disarm it – not your fingers – the spring action of these traps is so powerful it can break an eagle’s legs.
Raptor Persecution UK 
This is actually a picture of a Fenn trap ………. which are 100% legal to use in the UK, providing you use them within the guidelines laid down for their use, which includes them having to be placed within a tunnel of some sort that prevents capture of non target species. The original Pole Trap is circular in shape, within the US and EU the nearest thing to looking like a pole trap are leg hold traps used by fur trappers.
Yes, you’re right about the Fenn trap – but we have used the term ‘pole trap’ in the generic sense. It is illegal to fix an exposed/uncovered spring trap (of any type) on to a post as shown in the photograph.
We’ll be blogging about the legal (covered) use of Fenn traps in a later post (which, incidentally, doesn’t ‘prevent’ the capture of non-target species; it just lessens the probability of a non-target species being caught).
Yes in very odd circumstances the pole trap is still in use (as proved by your picture) but are you honestly the use of pole traps is still common in the UK? With increased public access and public awareness to such matters do you not think discoveries of pole traps would be far more frequent and many more people would be charged? Incidentally how many induviduals have been charged with using pole traps in the last 10 years? This post is simply trying to overexagerate the problem and create scandal that simply isnt there!
Now Grouseman, you’ve been reading this blog for some time so you really should have understood by now that using the ‘number of people who have been charged’ is a poor indicator of the actual number of people who have been committing a wildlife crime. How many people have been charged with illegally killing an eagle in the last 6 years? None. How many dead eagles have been found poisoned or shot? Do you really need the weakness of your argument to be spelt out any more clearly?
If we use your method of analysis (i.e. number of people charged as an index of occurrence) then just by the 2010 prosecutions alone we can deduce that pole trapping is more prevalent than eagle poisoning: See the Crane prosecution, reported on this blog 5 May 2011 -Two part-time gamekeepers were filmed (by RSPB) with a pole trap set at their pheasant-rearing pen. They were convicted and fined £1,000 and £500.
A better question to ask would be how many pole trapping incidents have been reported to the police but didn’t result in anybody being charged? We’ll probably never find out because the police don’t record these data, apparently. However, an example of one can be found on page 16 of the RSPB’s report ‘The illegal killing of birds of prey in Scotland in 2010’, where an ‘unknown’ person was photographed setting a pole trap on the edge of a driven grouse moor near Dalwhinnie, Inverness-shire, which resulted in the death of a goshawk. There are even RSPB photographs! Apparently nobody was prosecuted and this story didn’t appear in the press. What a surprise.
We don’t need to exaggerate; the scandal is there for all to see and we’re only scratching the surface.
I understand your point about many wildlife crimes being Un-prosecuted as everyone knows convictions are hard to get but if it was as common a practice as your trying to make out there would certainly be more people charged and taken to court even if never convicted. Surely your point about the pole trap setting in Inverness-shire just shows the RSPB are more convened with prosecuting keepers than saving birds as no one can realistically argue between them photographing the trap being set and the time it would take to get to it and spring it a goshawk was caught and died?! Another perfect example of this was the harriers shot in Morayshire in 2001 the nest monitors watched the nest being approached by a guy in camo carrying a shotgun. What did they think he was going to do? They could have stopped this crime at any moment! The sad fact of the matter is they are more concerned with damaging sporting shooting and convicting keepers than protecting birds. It’s better publicity and better for attracting membership if they just sit back and let the crime be committed but where’s the conservation in that?
Ok, so let’s go back to the eagle analogy. How many people have been charged and taken to court even if never convicted (of illegally killing an eagle). NONE. Your method of assessment is utterly flawed!
Your arguments about the RSPB are tired and predictable and seem to be getting off topic. No intention of getting into an RSPB-slagging match – you can go to the other raptor blog for that. One thing though: the game-shooting industry has failed on all counts, over a number of decades, to self-regulate and put a stop to illegal raptor persecution. I would much rather the RSPB continue with their work to stop it than leave it up to you and your mates!
It’s the same with most crimes – a very small percentage will be charged when compared to the number involved in the illegalities. Take speeding or road traffic offences. Those convicted will acount for a fraction of a percent of those that have broken the laws and I would be willing to bet that every single driver on this board has broken motoring laws at some stage, but admittedly mostly unintentional. The fact being that those attempting to eliminate criminal activity are vastly underfunded, under-resourced and up against corrupt practices in the courts.
There is also the high probability that traps are placed in areas where people do not frequent. I remember doing some windfarm work a few years ago and I was walking around the edge of a woodland. It was boggy in places with sheep remains lying in certain areas, so it was obvious that even the shepherd didn’t bother entering this area despite being two hundred yards from his track. Now it would have been easy for a gamekeeper to set traps at the edge of this wood and no-one would ever have found them.
So to recap, yes there is a major problem in relation to raptor persecution with illegal trapping, with illegal poisoning, with illegal shooting and it is mostly to do with shooting estates.
Grouseman, thank you and fair play to you, coming on arguing your corner respectfully. I agree with your point about the use of the pole trap being extremely uncommon because of the valid points you make. I think this is deeper than that though, the killing of this buzzard in a pole trap has been done purposely in my opinion to stick two fingers up to those who challenged the shooting fraternity in the recent DEFRA debacle, the same way the Goshawk eggs were broken under the nest in the peak district this year in the same area the young were killed last year and placed where they could be found with there legs cut off to remove their rings. I think there is total denial in the shooting industry at the moment that anyone can do any wrong and that they are untouchable. The unholy trinity, the SGA, the Countryside Alliance and the Shooting Times all make good money out of ordinary shooting folk by proclaiming an ongoing phoney war with the rspb, who they say want to ban shooting, This is where the blame lies. Basc used to be fairly neutral on this but are now unfortunately going the same way. These organisations nowadays are completely out of touch, one simple point, you’re in a double dip recession and have £375,000 to spend, do you spend it on Nurses, Teachers, Police, the Armed Forces, the Elderly the sick and vulnerable or removing a few Buzzards to enhance your sport, the decision doesn’t go your way do you accept it respectfully and acknowledge the situation or make it known to everyone your disappointment? Another despicable act of cruelty which once again will get nothing more than petty lip service, if that from the aforementioned.
Hi Paul,
This buzzard was pole-trapped well before the start of #buzzardgate.
In defence of this post, I don’t believe for a minute that it is over exaggerating. I can assure you I wish it were and I’m sure many others wish it was all just exaggeration and people were just scaring folk and making mischief for the hell of it. However, this is of course not the case and anybody who cares about our wildlife here in Britain should be very worried for its future and in this case, our protected birds of prey. The very nature of wildlife crime is that it is carried out mainly in remote areas where few people visit. Pole traps can be erected one day and taken down the following day. The criminals, intent on killing protected species, know their land well and where people walk and don’t. They also know where the raptors are and the best times to set their traps and poisons (and take them away again) as well as when and where to lie in wait with their guns. It is true that detecting these crimes is not easy, but I can assure you that the cruel and mindless crimes against our protected birds are all too real, as real as they have ever been. I just hope some people understand this before it is too late and we begin to slowly lose our raptors from the skies, which has become a reality on some shooting estates already.
Ah, that line about DEFRA needs to read in general then ;-)
One of our contributors sent this via email:
“Found the following up on Google…a wonderful insight into the thinking of shooting estate owners in 1904 – I would suggest the views havent changed, they are just more careful about openly expressing them. 108 years of the “tradition” of raptor killing since then, no wonder its hard to eradicate”.
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1904/mar/24/wild-birds-protection-acts-amendment-bill
Hold up here……..no one is crediting anyone with intelligence here, so the argument of not using a pole trap (fenn trap or any other spring trap) to trap birds of prey because of being to risky shows either that you have no idea of the true extent of the problem or you are trying to use the absence of criminal convictions as a way to underplay a problem which is on a truly industrial scale. As you choose to use the name ‘Grouseman’ I will presume the latter.
I agree that it may come as a surprise to most people, that in a modern civilised society certain persons continue to use very primative methods to kill certain species (some of which have the highest level of legal protection) because they choose to class them as ‘vermin’. But that is exactly what is happening and has been happening for many years. This is well documented.
RSPB annual bird persecution publication should go someway to show have many offences involving the illegal use of spring traps are reported annually in Scotland.
Remember that the vast majority society finds these acts disgusting, repugnant and utterly criminal and anyone who chooses to commit these types of crime should be looking over their shoulder………………….!
I am currently campaigning against the Nathro Hill wind farm in North Angus and am attempting to gather evidence of Golden Eagles using the wind farm area. I came across a couple of 5 foot posts painted white on grouse moorland belonging to Glen Ogil estate but did not get the chance to inspect them because an estate 4 x 4 appeared in the distance, I will go back to have a look but did get the chance to take a photo. Alarm bells are ringing that these posts might be used for traps, I have never seen posts painted white on a moor yet but have come across old posts with looped wire in my travels.
I think you will probably fnd the white posts you have seen are either safety posts between grouse butts where the next one is hidden due to the lie of the ground or horn posts to mark when the beating line is getting close to the guns so they can only shoot behind. Surely even the most unsubtle persecutors would draw the line at painting pole traps on heather moorland white! If this was the case they certainly would have been discovered before now!