A small female raccoon spent its final days dragging a leg-hold trap through a Greater Victoria suburb and chewing off body parts in a failed bid for freedom.
The animal was discovered in the 2000-block of Lansdowne Road in Oak Bay on the weekend, where it 鈥� trap, snapped on its front right leg 鈥� was tangled in black landscape netting. A resident called Oak Bay police who called the B.C. Conservation Service and officers from both agencies got the animal safely off to the BC SPCA Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) in Metchosin.
鈥淯nfortunately her injuries were too severe and we weren鈥檛 able to rehabilitate her,鈥� Andrea Wallace, manager of wild animal welfare said.
The animal was put down after an examination showed it had been in the trap a day or two.
The raccoon had a crushed right front leg, and as with many trapped animals, she鈥檇 chewed most of the digits off the limb.
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鈥淭hat turned the paw necrotic, full of infection and she had multiple fractures through it,鈥� Wallace said.
Unfortunately, there鈥檚 no telling where the trap came from. It bears no markings and the animal could have dragged it from anywhere.
What is clear is it鈥檚 illegal, Wallace said.
鈥淚t is unlawful to use a leg hold trap which has teeth or other projections on the jaws of the trap,鈥� she said, citing provincial hunting and trapping regulations.
A resident found this little guy caught in a leg trap. OBPD members & Conservation Officer released him and got him in a cage. He's been taken to Wild Arc Rehab Centre. 馃憤 Before setting a trap, review applicable laws. Kids & pets can trigger these dangerous (and cruel) traps.
鈥� Ray Bernoties (@ray_oak)
It鈥檚 not unusual for an injured raccoon to wind up at the Metchosin facility. They see 100 to 200 of the animals in a given year for reasons ranging from from healthy but orphaned, to hit by cars or injured by traps.
This kind of trap is not unheard of, but certainly not common, Wallace said.
鈥淚f you see any of these kinds of traps ever being used, please report it to conservation (Report All Poachers and Polluters) RAPP line,鈥� she said. The RAPP number is 1-877-952-7277.
Residents can report an animal in distress through the BC SPCA call centre at 1-855-622-7722 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days per week. The call centre is closed on statutory holidays except for wildlife calls on south Vancouver Island, from 8 to 4:30 p.m.
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