The Fur-Bearers has put up $1,000 for information leading to the identification and conviction of the person(s) responsible for trapping a raccoon in Beach Grove earlier this week.
“This is a deeply troubling incident and we were horrified to see the extent of injuries caused to this raccoon,” said Lesley Fox, executive director of The Fur-Bearers, in a press release.
The wildlife non-profit, which last year offered a reward in the case of a raccoon tortured by a trap in Ladner, say in this incident araccoon’s degloved paw was completely shattered and covered in maggots – potentially for days – due to a trap in Beach Grove.
According to Critter Care Wildlife Society, the otherwise healthy female raccoon was caught May 17 with the Duke-style trap on her paw in trees near 17A Avenue, a block from Beach Grove Park and Beach Grove Elementary.
Due to the extent of her injuries, the raccoon was humanely euthanized.
“Last year we petitioned Delta council to consider putting in place bylaws restricting the use of traps to try and prevent this kind of cruelty,” said Fox. “We’re asking again now because the provincial regulations aren’t preventing the use of these devices and the damage they cause in Delta-area communities.”
Fox said trapping is not a long-term answer to human conflict with wildlife in rural or urban settings and will only need to be repeated year after year, noting that humane options exist to prevent and mitigate conflict.
“We are issuing this reward because this barbaric act demands consequence and because residents need to know the impact setting traps has on their community,” Fox said. “So long as trapping continues in a community these horrifying injuries will continue, too.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) Line at 1-877-952-7277. Anonymous information can be submitted online at https://forms.gov.bc.ca/environment/rapp/ as well.