News & Updates

Please ask the Governor to sign Senate Bill 5 for wildlife

Mar 15, 2025 | 2025 Legislative Session, Reforming State Wildlife Management, Senate Bill 5

Senate Bill 5 has passed the legislature and Governor Lujan Grisham needs to sign it Dear TrapFree New Mexico Friends, We need you again because we know you care deeply about wildlife. Senate Bill 5 to modernize state wildlife management has passed the legislature and...

Farmington cat injured after getting caught by illegal trap

Jan 9, 2025 | Cat, Trap Injuries, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping Regulations

Click here to watch the video on KOB4 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Game and Fish typically only see a couple cases a year involving illegal traps, but we’re a week into the new year, and they’re already seeing it. Read this article on KOB4

Trap Incident Report: Dog caught and maimed by suspected snare trap near Rodarte, NM

Nov 27, 2023 | Dog, Extreme Animal Cruelty, Illegal Trapping, Trap Injuries, Trap/Snare Incident Report

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!

Sep 19, 2023 | NM Department of Game and Fish, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trap Victim Story, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping Incidents Map, Trapping Regulations, Wildlife Management

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

May 26, 2023 | Cruelty, Roxy's Law, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands

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

Apr 2, 2023 | Dog, Extreme Animal Cruelty, Illegal Trapping, NM Department of Game and Fish, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trap Injuries, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping is Torture, Trapping Regulations

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

Mar 1, 2023 | Dog, Extreme Animal Cruelty, Public Safety, Trap Injuries, Trap Victim Story, Wildlife

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

Jan 23, 2023 | Banned Fur Sales, Commercial Fur Sales, Cruelty, Extreme Animal Cruelty, Fox, Fur Free Fashion, Fur Trade, Legislation, Public Opinion, Waste, Wildlife, Wildlife Ethics

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

Jan 5, 2023 | Ban Traps on Public Lands, Coyote, Cruelty, Dog, Extreme Animal Cruelty, NM State Game Commission, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trap Injuries, Trap Victim Story, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands, Trapping Regulations, Wildlife Management

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 🐕

Nov 1, 2022 | NM Department of Game and Fish, Public Lands, Roxy's Law, Trap/Snare Incident Report, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands, Trapping Regulations, Wildlife

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

Oct 27, 2022 | Badger, Illegal Trapping, NM Department of Game and Fish, Wildlife

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

Apr 1, 2022 | Ban Traps on Public Lands, Endangered Species, Mexican wolf, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands, Wildlife, Wildlife Management

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

Mar 31, 2022 | Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping Regulations, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wildlife Ethics

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

Mar 31, 2022 | Endangered Species, NM Department of Game and Fish, NM State Game Commission, Poisons, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trap Injuries, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Wildlife Management, Wolf

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

Mar 31, 2022 | Dog, Outdoor Recreation Industry, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Tourism Industry, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands, Wildlife, Wildlife Ethics, Wildlife Management

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

Mar 31, 2022 | Mexican wolf, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Wildlife, Wildlife Management

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

Mar 28, 2022 | Ban Traps on Public Lands, Coyote, Letter to the Editor, NM Department of Game and Fish, NM State Game Commission, Public Lands, Public Opinion, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands, Trapping Regulations, Wildlife Ethics, Wildlife Killing Contests, Wildlife Management

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

Mar 27, 2022 | Ban Traps on Public Lands, Letter to the Editor, NM Department of Game and Fish, NM State Game Commission, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands, Waste, Wildlife Management

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

Feb 2, 2022 | Cruelty, Dog, How to Release Dog from Trap, Illegal Trapping, NM Department of Game and Fish, Public Lands, Public Safety, Trap/Snare Incident Report

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

Dec 1, 2021 | Ban Traps on Public Lands, Dog, Extreme Animal Cruelty, Illegal Trapping, NM Department of Game and Fish, NM State Game Commission, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trap Injuries, Trap Victim Story, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands, Wildlife

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

Nov 29, 2021 | 2021 Legislative Session, Ban Traps on Public Lands, Cruelty, Dog, Extreme Animal Cruelty, Illegal Trapping, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trap Injuries, Trap Victim Story, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping is Torture, Trapping on Public Lands, Waste, Wildlife

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

Nov 24, 2021 | Dog, Editorial, Illegal Trapping, Legislation, NM Department of Game and Fish, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trap Victim Story, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands

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

Nov 21, 2021 | 2021 Legislative Session, Dog, Extreme Animal Cruelty, Illegal Trapping, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trap Victim Story, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands, Wildlife

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

Nov 14, 2021 | 2021 Legislative Session, Abuse, Ban Traps on Public Lands, Banned Fur Trapping, Bobcat, Dog, Illegal Trapping, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trapping on Public Lands, Waste, Wildlife, Wildlife Management

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

Nov 13, 2021 | 2021 Legislative Session, Abuse, Ban Traps on Public Lands, BLM Land, Cruelty, Dog, Extreme Animal Cruelty, Illegal Trapping, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trap Victim Story

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

Nov 13, 2021 | Dog, Illegal Trapping, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Trap Victim Story, Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands

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...

New Mexico’s last trapping season on public lands

Oct 27, 2021 | 2021 Legislative Session, Ban Traps on Public Lands, Legislation, Public Lands, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trap/Snare Incident Report, Trapping on Public Lands

Dear TrapFree New Mexico Friend, This Monday, November 1st marks the start of New Mexico’s last trapping season on public lands. Thanks in large part to all that you did, Roxy’s Law will take effect on April 1st 2022 and effectively end the use of traps, snares, and...

Ann Arbor’s ban on fur sales is part of a larger fight to save wildlife

Aug 18, 2021 | Banned Fur Sales, COVID-19, Cruelty, Extreme Animal Cruelty

The Ann Arbor, Michigan fur sale ban passed less than a year after an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) in mink on a Michigan fur farm and the infection of a Michigan taxidermist with a COVID-19 variant found in mink. As it turns out, fur...

‘This is yesterday’s business.’ Fur sales ban gets Ann Arbor’s 10-0 final OK

Aug 18, 2021 | Banned Fur Sales, Cruelty, Extreme Animal Cruelty

ANN ARBOR, MI — The future is fur-free, animal rights activists told Ann Arbor officials Monday night, Aug. 16. City Council responded by voting 10-0 to give the final OK to a new ordinance banning sales of fur products in the city. “This is yesterday’s business,”...

Neiman Marcus Group will ditch fur

Jul 17, 2021 | Fur Free Fashion

The Neiman Marcus Group, which includes retailers Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Last Call and Horchow, has just announced it will end its use of animal fur in favor of more ethical alternatives. The luxury retailer will end its use of animal fur, and will close all...

Israel becomes first country in the world to introduce “historic” ban on fur sales

Jun 11, 2021 | Banned Fur Sales, Cruelty, Fur Free Fashion

Israel has become the first country in the world to ban the sale of fur for frivolous fashion, effective 6 months from now, with a few exceptions. Humane Society International/UK, which leads the #FurFreeBritain campaign for a UK fur sales ban, hopes Israel’s ban will...

Estonia Becomes 14th European Nation to Ban Fur Farming

Jun 11, 2021 | Abuse, Ban Fur Farms, Cruelty

Estonia just became the first Baltic state to ban fur farming. The Riigikogu (Estonia’s parliament) passed amendments to the existing Animal Protection Act and Nature Conservation Act on Wednesday. The act will now prohibit the breeding and keeping of animals solely...

Estonia Joins 14 Other European Countries in Banning Fur Farming

Jun 11, 2021 | Ban Fur Farms

Estonia just announced that it will ban fur farming in its entirety, marking history as the first Baltic country to abandon fur. This week, The Riigikogu, Estonia’s parliament, voted on the bill to ban fur farming in the country and 55 out of 101 members voted in...

Trap Incident Report: Farmington, NM

Apr 14, 2021 | Trap/Snare Incident Report

We have walked this area for fifteen years. There are expensive homes nearby and it is becoming very popular. A new trail was created last summer. A female husky named Twilight was caught in a trap placed underneath a tree and baited with a cat carcass and dead bird....

Passage Of Wildlife Conservation and Safety Act “Roxy’s Law” Long Overdue

Apr 8, 2021 | Ban Traps on Public Lands, Extreme Animal Cruelty, Hiker, Legislation, Letter to the Editor, National Forest, Public Safety, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law), Trapping Banned on New Mexico Public Lands, Trapping on Public Lands, Wildlife

I would like to echo the sentiments of another letter and publicly thank the New Mexico Legislature and our governor for outlawing the use of traps, snares and similar devices on public lands in our state. Senate Bill 32, The Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety...

Signing Roxy’s Law moves New Mexico forward

Apr 6, 2021 | 2021 Legislative Session, Ban Traps on Public Lands, Roxy's Law, Senate Bill 32 (Roxy's Law)

MY VIEW BY CHRIS SMITH Thinking about some other Western states’ version of so-called “leadership,” I am grateful for what we have here in New Mexico. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte is infamous for assaulting a journalist, attempting to undermine democracy and violating...