On a November evening in 2020, tourists hiking in Santa Fe County came across a dog caught in a leg hold trap just off the hiking trail — one of five dogs that month alone injured by hidden traps. This dog was in severe pain, dehydrated and slowly dying. But these two...
SANTA FE — When Mary Katherine Ray volunteers for Trap Free New Mexico, an organization that opposes trapping of fur-bearing animals in the state, it can be an intense experience. She told members of the Senate Conservation Committee on Tuesday that she receives...
A bill that would outlaw the use of traps, snares and wildlife poison on public lands in New Mexico cleared its first legislative hearing Tuesday. The Senate Conservation Committee voted 7-2 to endorse the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, also called...
It’s come to our attention that a few prominent voices from the trapping community feel like they can speak for all rural New Mexicans in their quest to continue their grip on safe public lands. We are rural New Mexicans from across the state and we oppose the use of...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 19, 2021 Contacts: Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians, 505-395-6177, Jessica Johnson, Animal Protection Voters, 505-220-6656, Number of trapped dogs piles up as “Roxy’s Law” is introduced...
UPDATE: Please Support Senate Bill 32 (Roxy’s Law) Dear TrapFree New Mexico Friends, We wanted to be sure you saw this alert from TrapFree NM partner, Animal Protection Voters. Click on the link below to send a message right now to your legislators, some of whom...
On Dec. 17, I was winding up my forest walk with my two dogs, Chaco and Cruzer, when, not 10 feet away, Cruzer began wailing and bellowing at the top of his lungs. I thought perhaps something had stung or bitten him, buy it took only seconds to comprehend that he was...
Roxy died a painful death at age 8. A blue heeler mix, she was strangled in a snare near a hiking trail at Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area. The state Game and Fish Department said a man from Chimayó set an illegal trap that took Roxy’s life. What happened to Roxy led...
Dear TrapFree New Mexico Ally, 2020 has been a painful year. The beginning of trapping season here in New Mexico is following the same awful theme. Already, several high profile incidents in the news have proven, once again, that traps on public lands are a serious...
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...
by Mary Katherine Ray | December 4, 2020 Many people are surprised to learn that fur trapping—the exploitative relic of the 1800s—still goes on today in our crowded, fragile world. Worse, the steel-jawed devices and wire neck-snares that trappers still use can be...
SANTA FE – Terry Miller of White Rock was walking her two dogs through the Jemez National Recreation Area on Thanksgiving Day when she heard a sharp scream. She turned around to find her dog, Jessie, a 2-year-old Dutch shepherd, with one of her paws caught in a metal...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 25, 2020 New Mexicans are warned of gruesome sights and danger while on public lands over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend—on the two-year anniversary of the death of “Roxy,” the dog who became the namesake for anti-trapping legislation...
AZTEC — It isn’t unusual for James Stackhouse’s husky, Ivy, to disappear for a couple minutes while they are out hiking. She’s never out of sight for long and, at first, he didn’t think much about her absence as they were hiking near Lake Farmington on Nov. 14....
For Immediate Release October 30, 2020 Contacts: Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians, 505-395-6177, Jessica Johnson, Animal Protection Voters, 505-220-6656, Private, commercial traps will be hidden across BLM, Forest...
By Sherry Robinson New Mexico wants the traveling public to think of the state as a destination for outdoor recreation. For those of us who hike, bike, fish, hunt, and golf, that seems pretty obvious. The tourism industry and economic developers are on board. However,...
It is hard to believe the state ⏤ always in need of revenue ⏤ is intentionally acting to decrease its most dependable revenue stream: tourism. This is unimaginable; the state is acting to purposely lose residents and tourists by condoning and actively perpetuating...
New Mexico has a problem with traps on public lands. The ongoing destruction inflicted by hidden, baited, steel jaw traps is well documented. Users of public lands, companion animals and wildlife, including endangered species, continue to suffer the harm inflicted by...
This letter was published in the Santa Fe New Mexican on December 10, 2019 New Mexico has a problem with traps on public lands. The ongoing destruction inflicted by hidden, baited, steel jaw traps is well-documented. Public lands users, companion animals and wildlife,...
