News & Updates
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...
Bill to prohibit public land trapping planned
BY T. S. LAST / JOURNAL STAFF WRITER Tuesday, January 8th, 2019 at 11:35pm Copyright © 2019 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE – Dave Clark says he doesn’t want anyone else to go through what he has. Not just the horror of watching his beloved 8-year-old heeler mix choke to...
A Dog Has Been Killed by a Trap in Northern New Mexico
Land Commissioner Pledges to Enact Policy, State Legislators Plan to Introduce “Roxy’s Law” For Immediate Release January 8, 2018 Contacts: Mary Katherine Ray, 575-772-5655, Jessica Johnson, Animal Protection Voters, 505-220-6656, ...
Dog loses leg after caught in trap, prompting renewed calls to ban trapping
WARNING: Some pictures in this story are graphic. When Argos Animal Rescue first found Kekoa, they didn't think he would make it through the night. Now, after a miraculous recovery, he's acting as their poster pup for change. "He tried to chew his own leg off. He does...
Latest incident underscores the horror of trapping
No animal deserves the agony inflicted by steel jaw, leg hold traps. This dog's story and extreme injuries reiterate the need to ban deadly traps, snares, and poisons from public lands. From Argos, A Shelter Dog Rescue: Kekoa (Courageous One) suffered multiple...
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...
Tell the NM Game Commission we need real trapping reform
Every year, leg-hold and body-crushing traps are hidden throughout New Mexico's public lands by trappers hoping to exterminate certain wildlife species or simply make money from furs. These are the same public lands where New Mexicans and tourists go to enjoy the...
Gubernatorial rivals discuss their plans for protecting and improving NM’s outdoor resources
The candidates were asked where they stood regarding the controversial issue of commercial wildlife trapping on public lands. Lujan-Grisham said the state needs a 21st century, science-driven management program that promotes and protects animal welfare and reduces the...
State spent $30k on meetings to revise trapping regulations, but show little sign of actually changing those rules
By Elizabeth Miller of the Santa Fe Reporter The state of New Mexico spent more than $32,000 to hold a series of meetings ostensibly to review trapping regulations and appease political stirrings that call for an end to the practice. Their sole output has been to...
London fashion week vows to be fur-free
British Fashion Council says LFW in September will be first of big fashion weeks to ditch animal fur London has become the first of the main fashion weeks to ditch animal fur in its shows after the British Fashion Council (BFC) said none of the designers participating...
Time for Game and Fish to dump trapping
Guest Column by Christopher Smith, Southern Rockies wildlife advocate for WildEarth Guardians. If you’ve been around New Mexico enough, you’ve likely seen New Mexico Department of Game and Fish vehicles with stickers that read “Take a child hunting, fishing or...
No Paws in Steel Jaws!
TrapFree New Mexico has stickers. Contact us if you would like some to display or distribute.
This picture shows the brutality of trapping
Coyote paw bones in rusty steel jaw trap. Traps like this are scattered across our public lands, posing a risk to anything with legs that tough the ground.
NM trapping laws not in step with NM values
The public only recently learned that a man intentionally set a leg-hold trap on public land to illegally capture an endangered Mexican wolf in 2015 (“Catron County man pleads guilty to killing Mexican gray wolf,” Albuquerque Journal, May 25). Once captured, still...
Jack Russell caught in trap in Gila National Forest
I was leading a Sierra Club outing when a Jack Russell took off barking with enthusiasm and delight only to be caught in a baited trap. I knew how to open the trap, but the terrified and hurt animal bit his owner before we could release him. The outing ended then as...
Series of awful trapping incidents spotlights need for reform
Three-legged wolf, tortured bobcat, injured raven, trapped pet dogs, and dumped wildlife carcasses highlight the toll on animal welfare and public safety For immediate release May 21, 2018 Contacts: Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians, 505-395-6177,...
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...
This X-ray shows the destruction traps inflict
In March 2018 a dog was found in Las Cruces dragging a steel trap on its paw. This is the X-ray showing broken and misplaced bones. Click here to read the story »
San Francisco Becomes the Largest U.S. City to Ban Fur Sales
San Francisco has become the largest U.S. city to ban fur sales after the city’s Board of Supervisors voted on legislation Tuesday. The ban will go into effect on January 1, 2019, and gives retailers until January 2020 to sell of their existing fur stock. The fur...
Trapping no longer necessary
The image of the fox caught in a trap near Placitas was surely startling to many Journal readers. In the weeks since the publication of this incident, a vibrant discourse has arisen concerning the merits and pitfalls of trapping and, more generally, managing wildlife...
What will it take to ban traps on public lands?
Readers share their experiences with traps in N.M.'s wilds and call for action ABQ Journal February 27, 2018 Click for larger image
Ask the Bugman: Trapping is totally satanic
Trapping, while legal in many parts of the country, is a vulgar activity. The traps cause unbelievable suffering, including ripped flesh, broken bones, crushed pelvises, swelling and blood loss. The most insidious traps are the steel-jawed leghold traps. The...
Wildlife advocate’s dog snared by trap
A New Mexico woman and wildlife advocate who works to ban trapping recently encountered a steel foothold trap up close and personal while walking in the Cibola National Forest. Mary Katherine Ray of Winston said she was walking her two leashed dogs on Tuesday, along a...
This is what it sounds like when a dog gets trapped
WARNING: DISTURBING AUDIO OF SCREAMING DOG CAUGHT IN STEEL JAW TRAP
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