News & Updates
Trap Incident Report: Dog caught and maimed by suspected snare trap near Rodarte, NM
Witness Anaruth had seen dog Rodi on the streets before the incident (with all four legs), and then saw him with the injured and ultimately severed leg around October 27th hanging out across from the mail boxes in Rodarte (see yellow highlighted area in attached map...
Roxy’s Law is working!
TrapFree New Mexico, our partners, and thousands of New Mexicans worked for years to make public lands in our state safer for people, pets, and native wildlife. Finally, Roxy’s Law was enacted in 2021 and implemented in 2022. Since then, there has been a stark decline...
New Mexico animal trapping law receives pushback from trappers
Hunters and trappers have filed a lawsuit against the state, claiming New Mexico’s new fur-trapping laws are unfair and discriminatory. As of April 2022, the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act also known as Roxy’s Law has banned the use of traps, snares and...
Dog survives brink of death run-in with potentially illegal snare
ESPAÑOLA, N.M. — Española Humane workers never know what’s going to come through their doors, but Wednesday brought an unusually rare case. “Almost unrecognizable as a dog,” said Mattie Allen, director of communications for Española Humane. “It’s pretty shocking to...
‘He was very close to dying’: Dog owner calls for Quebec ban on leg hold traps
After his beloved dog Che's snout was caught in a leg hold trap, Montrealer Frederic Berard started a campaign urging Quebec to heavily restrict or even ban their use. "Che was having a walk as always at my chalet, and he got trapped," said the constitutional lawyer....
In a win for animals, California’s ban on fur officially takes effect
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...
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, "That's...
Roxy’s Law now in effect on New Mexico public lands 🐕
Dear Friends of TrapFree New Mexico, Thanks to the contributions of thousands of TrapFree New Mexico supporters, November 1, 2022 marks the beginning of a very different and vastly diminished wildlife trapping season in New Mexico. For the first time ever, all public...
Illegal Trapper Arrested
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...
Trapping ban to take effect on public lands in New Mexico
It will be illegal to use wildlife traps, snares and poison on public lands across New Mexico under a ban that takes effect Friday. New Mexico is joining a handful of Western states that have limited trapping on public lands, with supporters saying the move will help...
Roxy’s Law Banning Traps, Snares, and Poisons on New Mexico Public Lands Goes Into Effect
Dear TrapFree New Mexico Friend, Today’s the day we’ve all been waiting for: Roxy’s Law (the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act) went into effect this morning, making the vast majority of all traps, snares, and poisons illegal on approximately 32 million...
New Mexico Teeters on Edge of a New Era of CoExistence: Trapping Ban on Public Lands Goes into Effect April 1
On April 1, Roxy’s Law—a ban on trapping on New Mexico public lands more than a decade in the making—goes into effect after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed it last year. Nearly 32 million acres of public lands, including state-owned parcels, national forests, and...
Finally, recreate safely with no harmful traps on public lands
BY JESSICA JOHNSON / CHIEF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICER, ANIMAL PROTECTION VOTERS With warmer weather, many of us are reaching for our hiking boots, backpacks, and dog leashes – and we can finally breathe a little easier. That’s because, as of April 1, 2022, we have...
Trapping ban to take effect on public lands in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE – It will be illegal to use wildlife traps, snares and poison on public lands across New Mexico under a ban that takes effect Friday. New Mexico is joining less than a handful of Western states in either prohibiting or limiting trapping on public lands,...
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...
Roxy’s Law makes public lands safer — now reform Game and Fish
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...
Trap Incident Report: Dog caught in trap and snare near El Rito
Trapping on Public Lands Last week a dog walking with its owner was caught in both a snare and leg hold trap off of FS-137 outside of El Rito. These illegally set traps on National Forest land were subsequently removed by New Mexico Game and Fish. The road the traps...
Roxy’s anti-trapping legacy greater than botched trial
BY JESSICA JOHNSON / CHIEF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICER, ANIMAL PROTECTION NEW MEXICO AND ANIMAL PROTECTION VOTERS | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH, 2021 AT 12:02AM Roxy – the beloved dog killed by a neck snare in 2018 while hiking with her family – may not have received...
Not guilty verdict aside, Roxy’s Law still matters
The trapper accused of killing Roxy, a Northern New Mexico cattle dog who was strangled to death in a snare near Santa Cruz Lake, recently was found not guilty. The verdict was immensely disappointing. It feels like justice slipped through the cracks, alongside the...
ABQ Journal Editorial: To catch criminals, trapping ban needs real follow-through
Beginning in April, it will be illegal to use traps, snares and wildlife poison on public lands in New Mexico. That’s one positive outcome from the tragic death of an Española dog name Roxy — but it’s hard to be optimistic about the new law’s ability to be effective....
Tradition is no excuse for abuse
Traps and snares are lethal devices that pose a real threat to people, pets and wildlife on public lands. That fact was made tragically clear when a dog named Roxy was strangled to death in a snare at a popular New Mexico recreation area in 2018. Senate Bill 32,...
Man whose trapping inspired ‘Roxy’s Law’ found not guilty on all counts
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...
Trapper acquitted in case that inspired anti-trapping law
Chimayó trapper Marty Cordova was acquitted by a jury this week of 10 counts of illegal trapping, three years after state officials alleged that he set a snare that strangled a dog near Española, his attorney said Thursday. The death of the dog, named Roxy, attracted...
Trapper accused of killing family’s dog in 2018 found not guilty
Three years after Roxy, a blue heeler mix, was found strangled to death in an illegal trap, the man who was accused of putting out the trap will walk free. Eight-year-old Roxy, met a tragic fate while hiking with her owner near Santa Cruz Lake in northern New Mexico...
Know Your NM State Legislators!
Your New Mexico state Senator and Representative have the power to ban traps, snares and poisons on public lands. Find out who they are and let them know you oppose trapping on public lands. A simple phone call and email can make all the difference.
People's Forum Panel Report on Public Lands Trapping
The New Mexico Legislature should ban trapping on public lands in New Mexico because traps harm people, animal companions, and whole populations of wildlife including rare species. Most New Mexican voters believe that trapping is cruel and unnecessary.
TrapFree Friends
Animal Protection Voters
Black Bear Bureau
Footloose Montana
Fur Free Alliance
Furbearer Defenders
League of Humane Voters
Lobos of the Southwest
Mercy for Animals
National Urban Wildlife Coalition
No Cruel Traps on Public Lands
People's Forum Panel on New Mexico Public Lands Trapping
Predator Defense
Project Coyote
Pulling for Life
TrailSafe Nevada
Trap Free Montana
TrapFree Oregon
Wyoming Untrapped