Further to this morning’s blog warning that the Scottish Government might be hoodwinked into thinking a ‘humane cable restraint’ is different to a snare (here), I’d encourage you to read this brilliant briefing note written by Kirsty Jenkins, Policy Officer at OneKind, sent to the Rural Affairs Committee:
Kirsty reiterates the fact that the game shooting lobby has simply re-branded the term ‘snare’ as a ‘humane cable restraint’ and that there’s no difference between the two:
The letter from Scottish Land & Estates, signed by ‘150 land managers’ calling on the Environment Minister to retain the use of ‘humane cable restraints’ has also now been published:
Once again, the signatories to this letter, just as with the other recent SLE letter opposing grouse moor licensing plans, includes some ‘interesting’ names.
One of the signatories shares the same name as a gamekeeper who was convicted of raptor persecution offences several years ago. I imagine it’s simply coincidence and that these are two separate individuals because a convicted gamekeeper wouldn’t still be working in the game-shooting industry, given the industry’s proclaimed ‘zero tolerance’ stance on raptor persecution, right?
The letter also includes signatories from a number of gamekeepers from an estate in the Angus Glens where one of them was charged with alleged snaring offences several years ago after the discovery of a dead snared deer and two snared foxes -one dead from dehydration (suggesting the snare hadn’t been checked within the required 24hr time period) and another one with appalling injuries which had to be euthanised by an SSPCA inspector. For reasons that haven’t been disclosed (because they don’t have to), the Crown Office dropped the prosecution.
The letter also includes signatories from gamekeepers in the Southern Uplands Moorland Group – this is the region where gamekeeper Alan Wilson worked – Wilson was convicted in 2019 of nine wildlife offences, including the setting of 23 illegal snares (see here).
To be clear, I’m not contesting the right of gamekeepers to sign the letter to the Environment Minister – of course they have every right to do so and there is no suggestion that any of them are involved with unlawful snaring practices – but what I am doing is providing some important context for the benefit of the Minister and other decision makers about an industry that can’t be relied upon to self-regulate.
If you’re based in Scotland, I’d urge you to sign the e-action to the Environment Minister urging her to ban ALL snares, including those re-branded as ‘humane cable restraints’ – HERE.
Raptor Persecution UK 
There’s nothing humane about one of these vile things, however euphemistically you want to speak about them…just ask my dog who got caught in one, but luckily escaped unharmed….in the same way ‘vermin’ and other nasty perjoratives were constructed to try to justify cruelty, they in no way mitigate their use, except in the tiny minds of the perps.
I would quite like to hold these supporters of “humane cable restraints” in the aforementioned for an hour or two and see if they really think the name suitable after or better still xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx the trouble with this method being nothing killed humanely is around to give a view if they manage to pull this off (banning snares) it will be the most remarkable achievement of the anti cruelty lobby ever that of course will only apply if it is policed .They banned hunting with dogs in England and now we have the police acting as security for the lawbreakers.
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Even if this slight variation of the device first used by cavemen was in fact humane (is it bollocks!), most users are not. Or to put it correctly, the diligent hobbyist type keeper or the cautious GWCT researcher will account for only a tiny fraction of a percent of the total number of snares set. The vast majority of the (who really knows?) how many thousands will be set by keepers whose first and overriding priority is to nail foxes, and to accept as unavoidable the collateral damage and suffering they inflict. Badger caught round the belly died with its guts split, only noticed a week later, oh bollocks I forgot I had a snare at that end of midden, oh well there’s too many anyways. Fox that strangled itself wrapping around a branch or tree stump, oh bugger, but at least I got the bugger. Hared caught around middles, frozen to death overnight – a shame but then again there’s plenty more of them thanks to my vermin killing…etc, etc *insert as required*
*(make up own self-justifications for doing a bad thing)
These need to be banned no questions asked why do they try to put bows n ribbons on things ” these are so much prettier” why is everything with these people to try and convince normal folk with a heart in their chest not a brick it’s ok !!! Absolutely appalling propoganda bollocks that’s where they should be applied.
The by-catch of non-target species is reportedly 70% of the total creatures caught. In what other walk of life would such an outrageous situation be tolerated. No doubt many of the casualties are protected species for which the snare setters would be liable to prosecution if they had taken them by recognised illegal means. WHY DOESN”T THIS FACTOR RECEIVE MORE PUBLICITY?
It all comes down to one thing with these people and that is greed, A snare costs very little, A man with a Rifle costs man hours and ammunition, it isn’t enough that the farming subsidies they get more than cover the costs of the gamekeepers they employ if they can save money using these humane cable restraints formerly known as “SNARES” they will argue over it. It’s the same cynical use of the terms controlling and managing species when they actually mean eradicating!
Spot on about the reason they love snares. Cheap as chips, easy put loads out and they are working 24/7. I would only add that in my opinion the above “cost efficiency” is also a factor to free up time for more delicate tasks that have to be done cautiously.
Forgot to mention the other classic from the bullshitters dictionary when referring to muirburn, “cool burning” there is no such thing, stick your hand in those flames and see how cool they really are
To further intensify the smokescreen here I’ve noted that some folks are now calling them HCRs, for short. I was recently watching a Scottish Parliament debate (can’t recollect the precise details of its title) where a lady who appeared to be in favour of their use referred to them as ‘Human Cable Restraints’. She denied that she had done so but a replay confirmed her slip-up. I got the impression from what she was saying that Humane Cable Restraints were a supposedly less cruel and more acceptable form of snare. Whether or not this was a genuinely held belief I do not know, but it turns out to be a load of the usual tosh.
This is worth a read. First hand account of snaring in Scotland
https://www.league.org.uk/news-and-resources/news/the-reality-of-snares/