Police Scotland has issued a statement about the discovery of an illegal gin trap found set near Nairn in the Highlands:
ILLEGAL GIN TRAP FOUND NEAR NAIRN (30 Nov 2018)
Police in Nairn have issued a warning about the use of illegal traps following the discovery of one set near the town.
The illegal gin trap, although rusty, was fully functioning and was discovered by a member of the public on the afternoon of Wednesday, November 28 near Howford Bridge a few miles south of the town.
Nothing had been caught in the trap and the device has since been recovered by officers.
[Photo of the gin trap from Police Scotland]
[RPUK maps showing location of Howford Bridge, south of Nairn]
Wildlife liaison officer Constable Jonathan Clarke said: “Gin traps have been illegal for many years and are entirely indiscriminate. This device could have caused serious injury to a wild animal, a pet or even a person if they been caught in it.
Setting a trap such as this is a criminal act, as is possessing something like with the intention of using it.
Setting one in an area close to the river which is popular with dog walkers is extremely reckless and it is fortunate that this was discovered before anything or anyone was injured.
No further traps have been found but I would urge the public to be vigilant when walking in the area.
If anyone does find a trap then please do not try to deal with it on your own but carefully note the location and report it to police immediately.
Enquiries into this trap are ongoing and I would urge anyone with information to contact police on 101, using reference NM3269/18, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
ENDS
Well done Police Scotland for a very fast response to remove the trap and for an equally speedy public alert.
It’s shocking to see these traps still in use. Gin traps have been banned in England since 1958 and banned in Scotland since 1971, and yet still they’re being used to target wildlife.
It’s not clear which species was being targeted in this latest case but previously we’ve seen gamekeepers using them to trap buzzards (gamekeeper convicted in 2015 (here) and his boss convicted for vicarious liability (here) and earlier this year a red kite was trapped resulting in horrific injuries (here)).
Raptor Persecution UK 
Really good news that no animal (or human) was harmed by this primitive instrument of torture, but cannot the land owner be prosecuted for it’s use. Or does that only happen if the person who set it is found first. ?
A media release does not replace a proper investigation.
Wonder if the trap was swabbed for DNA ( animal and human) there appears to be debris caught in the jaws.
Warning the public has to be balanced with warning the person responsible.
Once the information is in the public domain it’s unlikely anyone will return. And that is the time to identify who was responsible.
Not a very efficient trap for catching a bird of prey…when theyve got Fenn traps to play with nowadays….much more likely to be aimed at fox, wildcat, pine marten or otter. It is to Scotland’s shame [and says something about our primitive attitudes to “vermin” back in the 50s and 60s] that these werent outlawed here until so late. We were still retrieving recently used gin traps from gamekeeper’s premises into the 21st century….police should be looking for an old “retired” vermin controller or a complete amateur.
Does this carry a fine or a lengthy prison sentence if caught with One of these medieval death traps, I know which One I think it should be….
Nothing carries a hefty prison sentence and most offences carry a zero risk of being caught.
surely in this instance the Police could have been disabled the trap and a surveillance camera installed to see if someone comes along and resets it?
I assume that you are quite new to this blog and to the epidemic of long term and never ending raptor persecution. The problem is vast and catching any culprit has been almost a non event. Nairn is only a short way from the Black Isle where, in 2014, close to 20 kites and buzzards were poisoned. The public raised about £30k reward for info leading to apprehension / prosecution. The result – bugger all !! Not exactly a surprise.
There is not a snowball’s chance in hell of getting the police to do anything like you suggested. BTW if a camera was set up the courts would throw the evidence out. You’ll find instances of that happening on here.
It’s not obvious whether the trap was on the ground or on top of a post. This might reveal something of the trapper’s intent. Could this reticence be significant?