Milan man Zacharia Copeland has been charged with the illegal trapping of a badger. Badgers are members of the weasel family and typically have an elongated head with small ears and a stripe from their nose to their tail. Badgers have special jaws that allow them to latch onto their prey. Courtesy photo.

MILAN, N.M. – Milan man Zacharia Copeland, 22, has been charged with Trapping Without a License. The charge came after Copeland posted a Facebook photo of a badger he had shot. Investigators found the photo, and on October 19 they filed a criminal complaint against Copeland. An arraignment has been scheduled in the Cibola County Magistrate Court for November 21 at 9 a.m. According to the criminal complaint, badgers are protected animals in the State of New Mexico and can only be trapped or hunted with a permit. The complaint alleges that Copeland did not have a permit to hunt or trap the badger. The complaint alleges that Copeland informed the New Mexico Game and Fish that he shot the animal because he saw it leave a hole and heard that they attack other types of animals. New Mexico State law, specifically NMSA 1978 Section 17-5-2 focuses on the protection of “Fur-Bearing and Nongame Animals” that roam on four legs, also known as quadrupeds. These fur-bearing animals include muskrat, mink, weasel, beaver, otter, nutria, masked or blackfooted ferret, ringtail cat, raccoon, pine marten, coatimundi, bobcat, all species of foxes, and the badger. These animals, and their pelts, are considered to be property of the state until the proper paperwork has been filed with the state and a permit has been acquired.

These animals are protected because they are often over-hunted for their pelts. All of the protected animals in this law are there specifically because they are hunted for their pelts, hence the name “furbearing”.

According to the New Mexico Game and Fish, badgers are short-legged, stout animals that have sharp claws. These animals are members of the weasel family and typically have an elongated head with small ears and a stripe from their nose to their tail. Badgers have special jaws that allow them to latch onto their prey. These animals usually burrow in in the ground, their burrows are easily identified due to their “elliptical shaped entrances”. They can produce a foul, musky smelling odor from their anal glands to keep predators away, but if that does not work, their sharp claws allow them to burrow into the ground with “remarkable speed”.

Badgers are normally solitary creatures and are usually active during the daytime, but can become nocturnal if human activity is continually present. Badger activity in Cibola County during Autumn can be attributed to the animals search for a mate, according to NM Game and Fish.

Read the article in the Cibola Citizen

The post Illegal Trapper Arrested appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

On a warm November morning, a man taking a stroll through the amazing trails south of Santa Teresa discovered a pile of some forty dumped animals. What he first thought were dead greyhounds turned out to be coyotes. They had been killed and skinned, and left with only a little fur on their legs. The carcasses were left to unceremoniously decay in the desert. Wounds on their paws indicated that this was the heinous work of trappers.

This gruesome scene is the common outcome of trapping, but is rarely witnessed by the public. Trapping is legal in New Mexico, and is widespread on public lands. A license only costs $20 through the Department of Game and Fish, but the real cost is paid by the public and by our ecosystems. Over the years, dozens of companion animals have been victims of traps on public lands. Coyotes are a common target, but a range of species, including bobcats, beavers, badgers and foxes are killed by the thousands every year so that a tiny group of New Mexicans can profit from taking away something we all love.

As a native New Mexican, I know that our state’s public lands have some of the most beautiful scenery and landscapes. They are also home to an incredibly diverse array of wildlife, and these species are all important parts of interconnected ecosystems. Healthy ecosystems clean our air, maintain our soil, regulate climate, and recycle nutrients that provide us with food. Animals such as coyotes and foxes keep rodent populations in check, protecting us all from disease and safeguarding crops. Beavers help to store precious water in the dry desert. Elusive bobcats are a treat for anyone to see while out on a hike.

The pile of coyotes found near Santa Teresa is a grim reminder that a handful of New Mexicans think that wildlife is there for them to slaughter for fur or for a sport. But maybe, this horror will prompt some of our state legislators to act in 2021. A small fraction of our state’s population holds our public lands hostage for nearly a third of the year with dangerous and deadly traps. Banning traps on public lands must be a priority this coming year.

With newly elected representation in southern New Mexico, there will be an opportunity to make all of our public lands safer for people and pets and more hospitable to wildlife. Banning traps on public lands is a common-sense solution that our neighbors in Arizona and Colorado made decades ago. It’s time for New Mexico to catch up. In 2019, New Mexico passed Senate Bill 76 banning coyote killing contests. The obvious next step to bring our wildlife and public lands policies into the 21st century is right in front of us. Our elected lawmakers should have an easy decision in the upcoming 60-day legislative session.

As a rural resident myself, I see that these public lands are home to the most beautiful sceneries that southern New Mexico has to offer. These lands must not be home to dump sites and animals suffering and left to rot in the desert. Our elected lawmakers must recognize the change we need in order to ensure that this remains the Land of Enchantment.

To learn more about the effort to get cruel, indiscriminate traps off of public lands, please visit trapfreenm.org.

Read the Opinion in the Las Cruces Sun News »

The post Las Cruces Sun-News: It is time for New Mexico trapping laws to catch up appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.