Capture tool
Cable Foot Snare
Catching wild animals by the leg
What it is
A cable loop triggers when an animal steps into it and tightens around the foot or leg. The animal is held there until the trapper arrives.
Where it sits in the system
Foot snares and foothold devices are used in wildlife control, live capture, research and commercial trapping. The trap works unattended, so the waiting is done by the animal.
Welfare concern
Held animals struggle against the cable, often for many hours, and the struggle brings swelling and abrasions, and in the worse cases fractures and dislocation. They are left exposed to weather and to predators, and some injure themselves trying to pull free.
Worth being precise about
Outcomes vary with cable design, anchoring, placement, legal standards, purpose and how often the trap is checked. The snare cannot tell species apart, so animals nobody was trapping for are caught in it too.
