A Valdez couple were devastated to find their beloved husky, whom some in the area referred to as “the Mayor of Valdez,” dead in a wire trap off Broken Arrow Road in early June.

The dog, named Zuni, went missing June 3 at about 3:30 a.m. during a routine bathroom trip outside.

This time, however, she didn’t come back inside right away. The dog’s owners figured she’d been spooked by an early morning thunderstorm.

On June 5, a neighbor, Tom Garcia, found the dog dead, tangled in an unmarked wire trap and fencing, as he was driving to work.

The incident is a reminder that in rural New Mexico unleashed pets can run afoul of traps legally set on private land to protect livestock from predators. Like many parts of Taos County, Valdez is a checkerboard of non-agricultural residential properties and land that families have ranched or farmed for generations.

Conservation officers with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish investigated the incident the same day it was reported and determined the property owner who set the trap was within his rights, according to Game and Fish regulations.

“The incident occurred on private land not owned by the owner of the dog,” said Darren Vaughan, communications director for Game and Fish. “Officers found no violations.”

Tony Valdez, co-owner of the property, said he set the traps as a deterrent, hoping dogs would learn not to come on his property, where he keeps livestock. Ranchers are wary of conflict, for example, between livestock and dogs — as well as wild predators like mountain lions and bear. In 2023, a bear killed dozens of sheep belonging to several ranchers in Arroyo Seco and El Salto.

According to the Game and Fish investigation report, the department “contacted Tony Valdez over the phone and learned that Mr. Valdez set the snares on the property for feral dogs in the area that have been attacking the cattle. This has been an ongoing issue with the feral dogs.”

“My motive is just a deterrent,” Valdez told the Taos News. “Those traps won’t kill a dog; they aren’t a true snare or a true trap. It’s a homemade bending wire deterrent. It’s possible but it’s not likely.” After learning of Zuni’s death, Valdez said he would set different traps.

The corner of Isaac Gonzalez’s property is about 10 feet from the fence line where the traps were left. Like many neighbors, he knew Zuni well.

“Unfortunately, I heard her last dying breaths,” Gonzalez said. “I didn’t know what it was, because the people at the bottom have so many animals. It sounded like a tropical bird or something. I’ve never heard anything like that. I walked towards the back, and I didn’t hear it anymore.”

When she was found, Zuni was caught so tightly in two snare traps and wire fencing that she had likely lost the ability to make any noise. One snare wrapped so fast around her hind leg it nearly reached the bone, and another around her neck appears to have strangled her. As she struggled, the wire tightened around her to a degree that her owners, Matt Gresham and Amy Zalta-Gresham, buried the dog with it.

“This feels as if we lost our baby — not to mention this could have happened to anyone’s beloved fur baby or even an unassuming child roaming in the neighborhood, as they’ve done freely in Valdez for generations,” Zalta-Gresham said.

“There are much safer traps that do not intend to kill, and we as a community would be grateful and help sponsor such traps, before it comes to the death of another member of our family,” she added. “This was cruel and inhumane.”

Neighbors who asked to remain anonymous said they removed at least seven other wire traps along the fence line. According to them, at least two other domestic dogs have been caught in snares in that spot along the pond. Both survived.

“It’s disheartening to think that it’s so close to my house,” Gonzalez said. “My dog, or another dog — or a child, or anyone — could potentially be a victim. The fact that it’s in a residential area blows my mind.”

Proper use of traps

New Mexico’s trapping regulations are intended to limit animal cruelty; such as checking the trap every 24 hours, leaving identification on the trap, and not setting them too close to water sources. However, these rules do not apply when the trapper intends to protect livestock on private property.

To keep companion animals safe, Animal Protection New Mexico recommends working with local animal control or law enforcement officers to trap targeted species, and “utilizing a non-lethal cage trap instead, to address damage being caused by loose dogs in a humane manner.”

“Animals don’t know when they are crossing from public land to private property, and traps and snares don’t discriminate between targeted and non-targeted animals,” said Stacy Sutton Kerby, APNM chief government affairs officer. “While New Mexico has taken the correct step in banning traps, poisons, and snares on public land, APNM believes strong regulations and restrictions should apply across any piece of land where people and animals traverse. Furthermore, lethal traps and snares should never be used to capture or kill dogs.”

Game and Fish recommends residents follow the animal control ordinance regarding dogs at large (including unleashed animals) and for livestock owners to follow the laws regarding livestock protection.

‘The Mayor of Valdez’

Like many dogs in the Valdez area, Zuni was known and loved by many; neighbors called her the Mayor of Valdez. She rode on the mayordomo’s truck on ditch cleaning day and visited Sheila Rey often for a 5 p.m. bone with other dogs. Other neighbors spoke about her chatty nature.

“Zuni had been coming to my house for years,” Rey said. “She was a sweetheart, extremely vocal. She was a people person, very friendly. Loved to be hugged, loved to be petted; and she loved her little treats I would give her.

“She was just a beautiful soul,” Rey added. “She didn’t deserve to die like that.”

Zalta-Gresham hopes Zuni’s death will create change, making residential areas and the many neighborhoods with a mix of agricultural and residential  properties safer for everyone.

“She was a beautiful soul in the valley of Valdez, as well as Taos Ski Valley, as her journeys brought joy to so many on a daily basis,” Zalta-Gresham said. “Her life was robbed, cut too short, but her memory has made her a martyr for change. We will do what it takes to remember her, and not let a savage act like this happen again.”

“Ordinances can and should be changed to stop poaching to kill in residential areas, for the sake of humanity and the so so many of us grieving for our Zuni girl,” Zalta-Gresham added. “She can’t be brought back but hopefully she can save lives. No unknowing pet or child deserves that fate.”

Read this article in the Taos News

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Fox cub born to die in a fur farm cage.

Californians can now officially celebrate the end of fur sales in the Golden State. A statewide ban on the sale of new animal fur products went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, making California the first state in the U.S. to implement such a ban. Its citizens have waited more than three years for the new law to take effect after legislators passed AB 44, sponsored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman. The law, which makes it illegal to manufacture or sell a new animal fur product in California both through brick-and-mortar and online sales, included a phase-in period, giving retailers time to adjust and shift their inventory to fur-free products. It also allows for the continued sale of used animal fur products sold at nonprofit thrift stores, secondhand stores and pawn shops.

California’s ban on the sale of fur products is expected to make a massive dent in the fur industry. Federal fur sales data shows that nearly 25% of all fur product sales in the U.S. occur in California. The new law helps end the suffering of millions of animals either born to die on fur farms or caught in cruel traps in the wild, just so their coats can be used to create luxury goods like hats and loafers.

Each year, more than 100 million animals, such as mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchillas, are raised and killed on fur farms. While most fur sold in the U.S. comes from operations in other countries, primarily China and Europe, fur farms do still exist in some U.S. states. For instance, Wisconsin, Utah, Idaho, Washington and Oregon still allow the farming of animals for their fur. Much of this fur is sent overseas to be made into garments.

Animals kept at these facilities live in some of the cruelest conditions imaginable. These wild animals are typically held captive in small wire cages and are unable to fulfill natural behaviors like swimming, digging and running. They remain largely unprotected by laws in the U.S. and overseas, such as mandatory inspections and humane slaughter laws, and they are often electrocuted, gassed or bludgeoned to death so that their pelts are not damaged. In some instances, animals may not die from these methods and are skinned while still alive.

As unbearable as it is to think of this kind of intense and pointless suffering, we’re witnessing real progress toward relegating this brutality to the history books. Communities are taking it upon themselves to help put an end to the unconscionable cruelty that is inherent to the fur industry. Grassroots advocates in the U.S. and across the globe are stepping up to pass policies that end the sale of fur products. Before the passage of California’s ban on the sale of fur products, four municipalities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood) passed local ordinances banning these products, paving the way for statewide legislation. Many other communities from coast to coast have followed suit, and global leaders are taking notice.

Internationally, more than 20 countries have passed laws to limit or outright ban fur farming and, in 2021, Israel became the first country to prohibit the sale of fur products. Now, European citizens are gathering signatures in support of a “Fur-Free Europe” European Citizens’ Initiative asking for a ban on fur farming and placing fur-farmed products on the European marketplace. Although the petition has already gathered the necessary 1 million signatures needed by May 2023 for the European Commission to issue a formal response, it remains open to collect additional signatures. I encourage citizens of the European Union to sign it.

Also, at the corporate level, companies continue to drop animal fur from their product lines, with several policies going into effect to align with California’s fur ban. Canada Goose, Kering, Saks Fifth Avenue, Zegna Group, Rudsak, Mytheresa and Moose Knuckles all pledged to go fur-free by the end of 2022, and Neiman Marcus by March 2023. While only a few companies still sell animal fur, one of the last major holdouts is the corporate conglomerate LVMH (parent company for brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Marc Jacobs, Loro Piana and Fendi). That this conglomerate still sells fur has made it the target of persistent global outreach from animal welfare advocates calling on the corporation to ban fur sales once and for all.

We should absolutely celebrate California banning fur sales and other recent wins in our fight against fur, but there is still much work to be done, and you can help. If you are interested on working toward a fur sales bans in your area, check out our ordinance toolkit, which provides an easy guide for taking action in your own community. You can also find plenty of additional information and resources on our Going Fur-Free webpage.

Read this article on the Humane Society of the United States blog

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It was the passionate work of the TrapFree New Mexico coalition, the genuine leadership of state legislators, the courageous testimony of trap victims from around the state and, ultimately, the governor’s signature that turned this tragedy — and countless others like it — into a positive outcome for New Mexico. Roxy’s Law will make our public lands safer for everyone.

It is likely millions of animals in New Mexico have been tortured, maimed and killed by cruel, limb-crushing traps and strangulation snares. This indiscriminate slaughter continued for so long because one state agency — the Department of Game and Fish — kept it going in spite of massive, clearly stated opposition. This self-serving department operates with state authority but without any real accountability to the constituents it is supposed to serve, the people of New Mexico. The behavior of the department illustrates a basic failure of governance in our state.

With its relentless “hunting is conservation” propaganda, Game and Fish essentially operates New Mexico as a pay-to-kill game farm, selling the state’s wildlife as “products” on its website. Let’s be clear: Killing wildlife is not conserving wildlife in any sane sense. This is the same state agency that did nothing to stop the obscene coyote killing contests. The state Legislature had to step in and stop the slaughter.

The State Game Commission that ostensibly oversees Game and Fish has positions for seven commissioners, only one of which represents conservation interests. Commissioners are appointed by the governor but are not required to have any training or expertise in wildlife, biological sciences or public trust duties and can be removed at any time without cause. This is a purely political exercise that is subject to abuse. Wildlife management should never be politicized.

Wildlife is a public trust in which all New Mexicans have a legitimate interest, not just those who hunt and fish. But the 95 percent of New Mexicans who do not hunt or fish are systematically excluded from state wildlife policy. This arrangement is profoundly anti-democratic and lacks basic legitimacy.

Basic components of good governance include: accountability, inclusivity, responsiveness and transparency. New Mexico state wildlife management lacks all four of these critical components. The department’s backward policies and management objectives are badly out of step with mainstream society and show little sign of improving. There is no reason we should allow any state agency to pursue an agenda that is clearly at odds with what most New Mexicans want for the state’s wildlife: respectful coexistence. Without deep reform and repurposing of state wildlife management, we can and should expect the abuse to continue.

Banning traps, snares and poisons on public lands is a victory for basic decency in our relationship with one another and what remains of our wildlife. There is no reason we should tolerate the cruel, indiscriminate killing of our companion animals or wildlife. There is no excuse for repeating the mistakes and abuses of the past, no matter how longstanding. Tradition is no excuse for abuse.

Read this My View in the Santa Fe New Mexican »

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But the way the trial and verdict has been framed is a disservice to the effort to ban cruel traps, snares and poisons across New Mexico’s public lands.

Several media outlets described Roxy’s tragic death as the impetus for passage of the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, which came to be called “Roxy’s Law.” It is true that Roxy became emblematic of the indiscriminate killing and danger that traps pose on public lands. However, the effort to ban traps from New Mexico public lands had been in the making for years before Roxy was killed.

It was the outcome of tens of thousands of New Mexicans coming to terms with the problems inherent with trapping and working hard to create a new paradigm for wildlife and hikers, hunters, campers and other users of public lands in the Land of Enchantment.

Taking Marty Cordova’s claim that he is a “scapegoat” at face value disregards all of the other pets who have been killed or injured in traps in New Mexico: Ophie, Murphy, Buster, Maxi, Strawberry, Ceniza, Tooli, Nelli, Cruzer, Ivy, Mahlia, Jessie, Joe, Sabina, Kutchin, Jetta, Zero, Toby, Pepper, Bo, Lulu, Ben Funbeast, Sammy, Jaky, Wiley, Beau, (another) Roxy, Ted, Bailey, Pearl, Noodles, Kekoa, Fibel, Ranger, Hopi, Jesse, Nina, Griz, Robin, Greta, Honey and many others unnamed or unknown.

Doing so also fails to account for at least 150,000 native animals that have been killed by trappers since 2008.

Furthermore, Cordova’s assertion — “Trapping is not bad; it’s a means of conservation, just like hunting deer or fishing” — is false. Trapping is not conservation. It is not like hunting deer or fishing. Trapping is cruel, dangerous and indiscriminate. It drains fragile ecosystems of the native species that keep things in balance. It turns wildlife into a commodity to be slaughtered, skinned, tanned and sold. It is deeply unpopular — New Mexicans oppose trapping by a wide margin.

Trapping was not on trial in the case surrounding Roxy’s death. Cordova was. And that seems to have been lost in the coverage. Cordova got his day in court, as is his right. But he was also given a platform from which to espouse the virtues of trapping and make it seem as though him being found not guilty — due at least in part to evidence being lost and photographs being deleted — means that trapping is redeemed.

The New Mexico lawmakers who decided earlier this year to end cruel trapping and poisoning of wildlife on public lands did so after hearing from activists (including sportsmen), scientists and trapping victims for well over a decade. The Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act will go into effect in April. It will make the outdoors safer and more accessible to visitors, prevent native animals from suffering and dying from these devices on approximately 32 million acres of public lands, and bring New Mexico’s wildlife policies closer into alignment with the best available science and modern ethics of coexistence.

New Mexico citizens and lawmakers have chosen to relegate public lands trapping and poisoning to the history books for myriad good and valid reasons. Roxy is one of those reasons, and her death became a rallying cry for the cause. Cordova’s not guilty verdict does not undo the progress we’ve made.

Chris Smith is the Southwest Wildlife Advocate for WildEarth Guardians.

Read this article in the Santa Fe New Mexican

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Roxy, an 8-year-old heeler mix, died in 2018 after being strangled by a snare at Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area.

A Chimayó man accused of setting a snare trap that caused the death of a dog named Roxy, which sparked a law outlawing trapping on public lands, has been found not guilty on all charges related to the 2018 incident.

“It’s a sense of relief, obviously,” Marty Cordova said in a phone interview Thursday. “It’s been about three years I’ve had this burden on my shoulders. It feels really good to get this behind me.”

A jury in District Court in Santa Fe deliberated for about six hours over two days before finding Cordova not guilty Wednesday on all counts, defense attorney Yvonne Quintana said in a phone interview Thursday.

Cordova was charged with multiple counts of violating state laws regarding trapping fur-bearing animals, including trapping within 25 yards of a public road, failing to have identifying information on his traps and failing to check his traps daily.

Cordova, 44, found himself in the middle of a heated controversy over wildlife management and originally faced more than 30 criminal counts after Roxy — an 8-year-old heeler mix owned by Dave Clark of Española — was caught in a snare trap near Santa Cruz Lake.

The case subsequently spurred the passage of a new law — the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, also called Roxy’s Law, which takes effect in April. It outlaws trapping on public lands.

Clark declined to comment Thursday.

But he told The New Mexican in 2019 he’d been hiking with Roxy near the lake, a reservoir about 15 miles east of Española, when the dog was caught in the trap.

“She was behind me and running to catch up,” Clark said. “I heard this sound and I turned around. She’d been caught in a snare trap. I couldn’t figure how to get it off. She was strangled while I was trying to remove it.”

As he was carrying his dog back to his truck, he said he heard another noise and found a bobcat caught in another trap. A game warden later euthanized the bobcat, he said.

According to an affidavit for a search warrant, a state Game and Fish Officer said that after removing the trap, he noticed there was no identification on the device, as required by state law. Surveillance cameras eventually captured images of Cordova checking and removing traps in the area.

After identifying him from surveillance camera images, Game and Fish officers served a search warrant on Cordova’s residence, resulting in the seizure of multiple snares and foothold traps that were not properly marked, according to the affidavit.

Quintana said she got the case dismissed at the Magistrate Court level based on challenges to the evidence, but the First Judicial District Attorney’s office filed the case in District Court as an appeal.

Cordova had faced 34 misdemeanor counts of violating laws regarding the trapping of fur-bearers in the Magistrate Court case, court records show.

The number was reduced to 23 counts when it was refiled in District Court, and it had been reduced to 10 counts by the time Cordova’s trial started Monday after more than a dozen counts were dismissed based on problems with evidence.

“It’s unfortunate the Game Department keeps doing this to individuals,” Cordova said. “I was fortunate I had the means to be able to defend myself, but that’s not common with many individuals that get accused of such things, and they have to take a lesser plea or plead guilty.”

“I think it is the right outcome,” Quintana said. “The case was overcharged, and the state and [Game and Fish Department] officers really did a disservice in regards to losing evidence.”

Game and Fish deleted thousands of photographs related to the case, Quintana said, adding other pieces of evidence — such as parts of the trap that snared Roxy — were lost.

While many of the counts against Cordova accused him of not putting identifying information on his traps, Quintana said the state didn’t collect a single trap from the field as evidence and only had traps they’d taken from Cordova’s home.

Quintana also said the dog was not on a leash as required in the Santa Cruz recreation area.

“So while the traps may have been at fault for the loss of the dog, there was also that issue that if the dog had been controlled with a leash, the tragic loss of the domestic pet may never have occurred,” she said.

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies disputed Quintana’s contention that the case was overcharged and said some of the evidence had been lost by the Bureau of Land Management during that agency’s investigation.

Carmack-Altwies wrote some of the unmarked traps allegedly belonging to Cordova “were left in the field where Game Cameras were set by BLM and Game and Fish for them to observe and try to identify who was setting these traps.

“However, all traps collected at the Defendant’s home … were presented,” she wrote. “There were 7 foothold traps and 3 snares collected … and none of them had tags at the time. One snare that could have been collected was destroyed because they had to cut it off of Roxy (the dead dog) to remove her body from the scene.”

The District Attorney wrote she felt she had the evidence to prove the charges when the case went to trial, but state District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer’s rulings “immediately before and during trial” limited what the jury was able to hear and see.

“The State fought hard for accountability and what the jury did see and hear was heartbreaking testimony and evidence about how Roxy and her owner suffered,” Carmack-Altwies wrote.

Quintana said the case was one of the toughest she’s tried when it came to choosing a jury because of the strong opinions many potential jurors held regarding trapping and animal rights.

Three jury panels had to be vetted before the parties were able to agree on 14 jurors — 12, plus two alternates — to hear the case, she said.

“It was very inflammatory because the dog got killed,” she said, adding potential jurors seemed more “stirred up” about the case than they were about a murder trial for which a jury also was being chosen.

While she’s no fan of trapping, Quintana said the law passed as a result of Roxy’s death “changes a way of life in New Mexico that is traditional, historic and has been practiced for hundreds of years.”

Cordova — a utility manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he’s worked for the past 21 years — said he has a small farm in Chimayó where coyotes and other predators sometimes kill his chickens, and he traps them as a form of population control.

He said activists who pushed for the passage of Roxy’s Law used him to accomplish something that had been on their agenda for some time.

“They used me as a scapegoat to say, ‘Look at how bad sportsmen are, and look at the results of trapping,’ ” he said. “They used my name to pass a law they’d been trying to pass for year and years and they continue to slander my name.

“They were able to convince legislators trapping is bad,” Cordova said. “Trapping is not bad; it’s a means of conservation, just like hunting deer or fishing. But you mention the word trapping or anything, and they hate that. But when Fido or your cat gets stolen from your back yard by a coyote, then they want all the coyotes killed. Sportsmen keep that population in check, but most people don’t understand that and just view us as killers and inhumane, and that is not the case. That’s not who we are.”

Read this article in the Santa Fe New Mexican 

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Contacts:
Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians, 505-395-6177, csmith@wildearthguardians.org
Jessica Johnson, Animal Protection Voters, 505-220-6656, jessica@apvnm.org

SANTA FE, N.M.—Today Senate Bill 32, the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act a.k.a. “Roxy’s Law,” passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 5 to 1. Senate Bill 32 makes important strides towards protecting all those who enjoy the outdoors, human and animals, by prohibiting traps, snares, and poisons on public lands (with a few important exemptions).

The vote demonstrated strong legislative backing for a bill that is supported by the majority of New Mexicans, from hunters and nature enthusiasts to dog walkers and park visitors.

Senator Brenda McKenna (D-Corrales) said, “I am proud to be a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 32—alongside Senator Bobby Gonzales, Representative Matthew McQueen, and Representative Christine Chandler—and thank my colleagues for their votes in support of the bill. We as a society can no longer condone the barbaric practice of using traps, snares, and poisons on public lands. I have, for years, supported outlawing usage of these cruel methods, especially since I myself once purchased a leghold trap for under $20 and could not open it without carefully using my feet. Imagine trying to free a pet or yourself under highly stressful and incredibly painful circumstances! I look forward to stewarding this bill through to the Governor’s desk, to protect the animals of the state and so we can all enjoy the outdoors in New Mexico.”

The bill will save unsuspecting companion animals and their human families from prolonged suffering. Since the 2020-2021 trapping season began, at least 9 dogs are known to have been caught in privately set traps and snares on public land across the state. The most recent incidents occurred near Abeyta, Pecos, Rowe Mesa, Cloudcroft, and Dixon.

Senate Bill 32 would also spare untold numbers of New Mexican wildlife from being killed via outdated and inhumane methods on public lands—nearly 150,000 native creatures have been killed by private trappers since 2008.

“It’s past time this madness ended,” said Chris Smith, southern Rockies wildlife advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Public lands should be safe, wildlife should be respected, people should not be afraid to take their dogs or children on a hike. The solution is simple—the legislature needs to act.”

“Traps are like landmines, catching and harming any creature unlucky enough to step on them,” said Kevin Bixby, executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center. “It’s time to get them off our public lands.”

“As a wildlife biologist, I can say definitely that trapping is not a legitimate form of wildlife management,” said Michelle Lute, PhD, national carnivore conservation manager for Project Coyote. “Our public lands and the wildlife that live on them must be protected from such cruel and wanton waste.”

“No one who visits our public lands should be subjected to finding suffering wildlife in traps or the trauma of their own beloved dog being harmed,” said Mary Katherine Ray, Wildlife Chair of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, who has experienced the anguish of both.

“New Mexico Wild Action Fund believes that wildlife is held in public trust for the protection and continued enjoyment of all New Mexicans, and should not be commercialized. We applaud Senators Gonzales and McKenna and Representatives McQueen and Chandler for their efforts to end the practice of trapping on our public lands,” said Mark Allison, Executive Director of New Mexico Wild Action Fund.

Animal Protection Voters’ Chief Government Affairs Officer, Jessica Johnson, noted, “New Mexicans overwhelmingly agree that it is past time for New Mexico to join our neighboring states of Colorado and Arizona and say goodbye to traps, snares, and poisons on the public lands we share. Let’s not wait for more or bigger tragedies to happen before taking action.”

“Mexican gray wolves are the most endangered subspecies of gray wolf in the world. Despite steady population growth over the past 20 years, trapping continues to hinder our ability to recover this important species,” says Michael Dax, New Mexico representative for Defenders of Wildlife. “The time has come to get traps off our public lands.”

“Trapping on public lands is indiscriminate and an ineffective tool for wildlife management, killing thousands of unintended animals instead of targeted predators; it’s primary motive is private profit from a public trust resource,” said Greg Peters, Public Lands & Wildlife Advocate for Conservation Voters New Mexico. “By ending trapping on our public lands, we will make them safer for NM residents and NM wildlife – creating more equitable access to nature while benefiting our local outdoor economy.”

“Today’s vote gives us hope that very soon, rare and beautiful animals will no longer fall victim to cruel and indiscriminate leghold traps and strangulation snares,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity in Silver City. “These killing devices should never have been allowed on public lands.”

Senate Bill 32 will next be voted on by the full Senate before it can cross over to the House of Representatives.

###

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This dog was in severe pain, dehydrated and slowly dying. But these two visitors were determined to save her and managed to find a rescue group willing to come out after hours to help. It was early morning before they found her, and she survived-minus several toes.

“Mahlia” was lucky. Mia Tuk wasn’t; neither was Roxy. In 2018 the 8-year-old cattle dog got caught in a trapper’s snare and strangled to death in front of her human companion. Can you imagine this happening to you?

Mia Tuk, a young, endangered Mexican gray wolf, who was being monitored by federal wildlife officials, lost her life in 2015 when she was caught in a trap on public land, and then bludgeoned to death with a shovel by her trapper.

Referred to by many as archaic and cruel, these devices are also indiscriminate, “catching and harming any creature unlucky enough to step on them,” (Kevin Bixby, executive director of Southwest Environmental Center.) Targets become baby animals who die in front of their mommas and vice versa, endangered wildlife (including nearly 50 endangered Mexican wolves trapped since 2002,) birds (including eagles and ravens) and pets.

Victims lay trapped and terrified, starving, dying from infection, dehydration or predation — unless or until the trapper comes back and finishes them off, by bludgeoning for example, to their final death.

In 1994 and 1996 respectively, Arizona and Colorado passed laws banning trapping on public lands. This year, New Mexico has the chance to do the same. On Feb. 2, Senate Bill 32, the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, also known as “Roxy’s Law,” passed the Senate Conservation Committee by a vote of 7-2.

This bill would outlaw traps, snares and poisons on public lands, with exceptions for humane intervention by state and federal agencies for ecosystem and wildlife management, scientific research and human health and safety. It would also protect sovereign tribal religious and cultural practices. These same exemptions exist in the Arizona and Colorado laws.

We lost more than 8,000 wild animals in New Mexico from 2019 to 2020. Most were killed for their fur and sold to manufacturers in other states. One senator’s secretary told me she’s even heard of people from other states coming here to trap and steal our wildlife.

As a New Mexican, I feel completely disrespected by that, and I couldn’t find a word stronger than “despicable” in the dictionary to describe it. Janet Evans, chairwoman during the 1994 ruling in Arizona stated, “It should not be our responsibility to provide the raw materials for the east coast fur industry at the expense of wildlife diversity on our land.”

A former trapper from Santa Cruz County in Arizona declared, “Trapping is an archaic form of animal harvest and should be eliminated.”

Many hunters and fishers alike also despise the practice of trapping, believing it casts a black mark on their reputation and ethics.

While reading the stories, history and debates around this issue, I noted the arguments against these laws were founded not on science or truth, but on a plethora of thinking errors, like assuming, wishful thinking, denial and justification. For example: “Trappers help manage wildlife populations by preventing overpopulation.” Truth: traps are indiscriminate — there is no intention. They trap anything and everything, and may actually result in “mismanagement of wildlife populations” (Garrett Vene Klasen, New Mexico Wild.)

“Trappers help limit the spread of disease.” Truth: again, traps don’t target any creature in particular, sick or well. Moreover, a sick animal that is eaten by another may actually spread disease further.

“Trapping is part of our “heritage.” Truth: So was owning slaves. We finally figured out that wasn’t ethical either.

Richard McKee, of the Sierra Club, called trapping “a cruel and unnecessary hobby,” adding that most don’t rely on trapping for their livelihood. Surely, when your hobby causes suffering and death, it’s time to find a new hobby.

Roxy’s Law will help make our beautiful state safer for us, and for the tourists we hope will help our economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. But our slogan must not include, “Beware of traps, snares and poison …”

We need Roxy’s Law to pass. Visit APVNM.org/NoTraps to learn more about Roxy’s Law and how you can contact and inspire your lawmakers to vote yes! Thank you, and be well.

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The bill would outlaw traps, snares, and poisons on public lands with exceptions for the protection of human health and safety, scientific research, professional ecosystem management and the protection of sovereign tribal religious practices. SB 32 establishes misdemeanor penalties for the violation of anti-trapping measures.

SB 32 is also known “Roxy’s Law”, named after a an 8-year-old heeler mix owned by Dave Clark of Española named Roxy who died after being strangled by a trap at Santa Cruz Lake in 2018.

“This vote gives us hope that very soon, rare and beautiful animals will no longer fall victim to cruel and indiscriminate leghold traps and strangulation snares,” Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity in Silver City said.

“These killing devices should never have been allowed on public lands.”

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Roberto “Bobby” Gonzales (D-Ranchos de Taos), Sen. Brenda McKenna (D-Corrales), Rep. Chris Chandler (D-Los Alamos) and Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo).

“It’s past time this madness ended,” said Chris Smith, southern Rockies wildlife advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Public lands should be safe, wildlife should be respected, people should not be afraid to take their dogs or children on a hike. The solution is simple. The Legislature needs to act.”

Kevin Bixby, the executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center, spoke on the dangers of the traps.

“Traps are like landmines, catching and harming any creature unlucky enough to step on them,” he said. “It’s time to get them off our public lands.”

The Legislative Finance Committee said the Department of Game and Fish “expects SB 32 to reduce the sale of furbearer licenses by an unknown amount. No other agencies reported a potential fiscal impact”.

Michelle Lute, Ph. D., the national carnivore conservation manager for Project Coyote believes the bill will reduce the amount of unnecessary animal deaths.

“As a wildlife biologist, I can say definitely that trapping is not a legitimate form of wildlife management,” Lute said. “Our public lands and the wildlife that live on them must be protected from such cruel and wanton waste.”

The bill now moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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The Senate Conservation Committee voted 7-2 to endorse the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, also called “Roxy’s Law” after an 8-year-old dog that was caught and killed by a neck snare at Santa Cruz Lake in 2018.

Senate Bill 32, which includes exceptions, such as for ecosystem management and religious and ceremonial purposes, establishes misdemeanor penalties for violations of the anti-trapping measure.

The vote came after a nearly two-hour discussion and debate from various interests, including ranchers, hunters, conservationists and environmental advocates.

Tiffany Rivera, director of governmental affairs for the Las Cruces-based New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, said the bill would “greatly impact” the livestock industry because it would prohibit individuals from dealing with predators that “harass and kill” cattle.

“Just as it is important to protect our domestic animals, it is equally as important to protect our livestock,” she said, adding the cattle industry contributes nearly $1 billion to the state’s economy.

Rivera and other opponents urged the committee to hold off on the bill to see how recent wildlife management rule changes by the New Mexico Game Commission, including new trapper education requirements and trapping prohibitions within a half-mile of trailheads, played out.

Changes to the trapping rule went into effect in 2020 and included a complete elimination of trapping in areas with heavy recreational activities, such as the [Sandia Mountains],” said Kerrie Cox Romero, executive director of the New Mexico Council of Outfitters and Guides. “These improvements were enacted in 2020 after an extensive public input process, and they should be given time to prove themselves as effective.”

Opponents of the bill, however, said the state can’t wait for the anti-trapping bill.

“One of the federally listed endangered species that we work to protect is the Mexican gray wolf,” said Eddie Estrada, a field representative for the Endangered Species Coalition. “With only 87 wolves in the wild in New Mexico, it’s one of the most imperiled wolves in the country, and they’re facing many challenges. Traps are just another obstacle for successful recovery efforts.”

Kevin Bixby, executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center, said trapping on public lands poses a threat not just to animals but to people.

“They’re like land mines basically waiting to harm whatever unfortunate creature happens to step on them, whether it’s a wild animal or a pet dog or a horse carrying a rider or, God forbid, a human being,” he said.

In addition to being a public safety hazard, Chris Smith of WildEarth Guardians said trapping creates an “equity and environmental issue.”

“These animals [caught and killed in traps] are a public asset that benefit all New Mexicans, but they’re killed in unlimited numbers on public lands for private profit by a tiny few,” he said. “That’s unacceptable. I urge you to support this legislation. It’s long overdue.”

Read the article in the Santa Fe New Mexican »

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