Bye-Bye, Trapping on Public Land in New Mexico

Bye-Bye, Trapping on Public Land in New Mexico

Mary Katherine Ray helped outlaw traps in her state Adapted from an interview by Lindsey Botts January 1, 2023 A few years after moving to a remote area of southern New Mexico, I saw a Sierra Club ad in the local paper. I was a longtime member and thought,...

Roxy’s Law a win, but wildlife governance needs reform

Traps, snares and poisons are lethal devices that have inflicted serious harm on people, pets and wildlife across the state for a very long time. But, fortunately, times are changing. The Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, also known as “Roxy’s Law” – named...
Video Released Showing the Excruciating Experience of Rescuing a Coyote Caught in a Trap

Video Released Showing the Excruciating Experience of Rescuing a Coyote Caught in a Trap

Santa Fe, NM — An anonymous good samaritan shared with Project Coyote a video showing the first-hand experience of encountering and rescuing a coyote ensnared in a leghold trap. This video comes at the same time the New Mexico legislature is considering Roxy’s Law, a...
Injuries to New Mexico Wildlife Caught in Leghold Traps

Injuries to New Mexico Wildlife Caught in Leghold Traps

Robert Harrison, Ph.D, University of New Mexico[1] December, 2020 Summary:  Wildlife enthusiasts are well aware of the potential of leghold traps to severely injure wild animals.  Less appreciated is how many wild animals suffer such injuries in the course of an...
Las Cruces Sun-News: It is time for New Mexico trapping laws to catch up

Las Cruces Sun-News: It is time for New Mexico trapping laws to catch up

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...
Albuquerque Journal Editorial: Nothing about traps is New Mexico True

Albuquerque Journal Editorial: Nothing about traps is New Mexico True

BY ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD Monday, December 7th, 2020 at 12:02am New Mexicans have worked hard over the years to do right by the animals in our state. We have banned cockfighting, horse tripping and coyote-killing contests. We have made dog fighting a...
Las Cruces Sun-News: ‘Pretty gruesome:’ Skinned coyote carcasses piled in desert likely the work of trappers

Las Cruces Sun-News: ‘Pretty gruesome:’ Skinned coyote carcasses piled in desert likely the work of trappers

LAS CRUCES – On Nov. 20, a man on his morning walk discovered multiple piles of dead and skinned coyotes off a main road near Santa Teresa. Kevin Bixby, executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center in Las Cruces, went to the site to check out the scene on...
Cruel or essential? Map details trapping incidents across New Mexico

Cruel or essential? Map details trapping incidents across New Mexico

Map shows trapping incidents occurred in 22 counties in New Mexico Nogal resident Kathleen McDonald had climbed about 100 yards into the Lincoln National Forest when Jasper, her Golden retriever Jasper suddenly began yelping and crying. “I went running down and...
Interactive map tracks illegal trapping

Interactive map tracks illegal trapping

Just in time for trapping season, a coalition calling itself Trap Free New Mexico is launching a new online interactive map that tracks incidences of illegal trapping and locations where dogs, Mexican gray wolves and even people have been caught in traps. Chris Smith,...

Clock is ticking – stand up against trapping

Albuquerque Journal Guest Column by SUZANNE REED Many of us New Mexicans are – or know – people who “fair chase” hunt on our public lands. Our state Department of Game & Fish (DGF) rules give over 80,000 licensed hunters seasonal opportunities to shoot wildlife...

TrapFree NM response to March 2, 2019 NBC News.com article

Dear Mr. McCausland, Thank you so much for shining some light on trapping in the US and in particular in New Mexico in your recent article. I noticed that you embedded in it a video of how to remove a dog from a trap produced by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game....
Dog’s death spurs bill to ban trapping on public lands

Dog’s death spurs bill to ban trapping on public lands

A dog’s gruesome death at Santa Cruz Lake in a trap meant for wild animals has spurred a coalition of advocacy groups to call for New Mexico to ban trapping on public lands. State Reps. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, and Bobby Gonzales, D-Taos, will sponsor a bill to...
A Toxic Relationship: Wildlife management is failing the animals and the people of NM

A Toxic Relationship: Wildlife management is failing the animals and the people of NM

New Mexico’s wildlife is a unique natural asset to be enjoyed by all citizens forever. This is not some wolf-hugger’s fantasy; wildlife as a public trust is deeply rooted in common law and the judicial record of the United States. State wildlife managers are obligated...
Carcass pile dumped by trapper

Carcass pile dumped by trapper

This is a pile of skinned coyote, fox, and bobcat carcasses dumped by the side of the road, paws still intact. This was found by the side of a dirt road in New Mexico. Trapping animals and taking their fur is a waste of a valued public asset. Wildlife belongs to all...