Dear Supporters of a TrapFree New Mexico,

    You may have seen this article on the front page of the Albuquerque Journal yesterday http://www.abqjournal.com/299377/news/dog-caught-in-trap-for-coyotes.html about a hiker’s dog being caught in a leghold trap on a popular trail in the Sandia foothills. It is true, fur trapping season started on November 1 and won’t end until March 15. That is 4.5 months that these devices will be out on our public lands placing all of us and our canine companions at risk. Coyotes can be trapped all year long.

I’m writing to ask you not to just get angry but to take action! Please send a letter to the editor of the ABQ Journal and voice your protest that these traps can be set on public land. Many people are not even aware that leaving a steel jawed leghold trap un-marked and unattended where others can be harmed is even legal. If the paper gets a large number of letters, it is more likely they will print some keeping the issue at the forefront and hopefully letting other people know.

   It should be short, 100-150 words is best, and can be sent online here: http://www.abqjournal.com/letters/new

Please use your own words, but here are some talking points:

·        The presence of traps can have a chilling effect on the ability of outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy their favorite places.

·        A trapped dog can become dangerous so people trying to help can be bitten. Traps can be difficult to remove even if you know how they work.

·        When dogs are caught, we can see the cruelty, pain and suffering that traps inflict which wildlife must also endure only to be brutally killed when the trapper arrives. Killing a helplessly trapped animal is usually done by gunshot, strangulation, or bludgeoning. It is violence at close range.

·        Resident trappers only pay $20 to trap an unlimited number of bobcats, foxes, and other animals that have fur which they then sell for profit. They are privatizing the public’s wildlife for a pittance.

·        Traps cannot choose on whose leg they slam shut. Besides our dogs, victims can include birds, squirrels, deer and other protected species and even endangered ones; wildlife that would be illegal to otherwise harm.

You can also visit http://trapfreenm.org/ for more

Thank you for taking action and speaking out.

Sincerely,

Mary Katherine Ray

For TrapFree NM

PS. Please let us know if you are a trap victim. We are collecting your stories here: http://trapfreenm.org/learn-more-stories-comments.php

We invite you to also join our community on Facebook with a ‘like’. https://www.facebook.com/trapfreenm