Updated: Feb 3, 2023
The use of snares is an incredibly controversial subject in the UK and even around the world. There are many debates between people who agree with the use of them to help control the populations of wildlife and those who believe that it is a cruel and nasty method that leads to the unpleasant death of an innocent animal. The use of snares has a large affects on our wildlife, the environment and the ethics surrounding the treatment of wild animals. Therefore, I thought I would weigh in, here are my thoughts on the use of snares in the UK:
Are snares legal in the UK?
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wildlife Order (Northern Ireland) 1985, self-locking snares are illegal but free-running snares are legal throughout the UK.
What is a snare?
A snare is a trap usually to capture a bird or mammal using a noose of wire or cord. There are two types of snares that are most commonly used, which as mentioned above are free-running and self-locking snares.
Free-running snares: Is a wired loop that hooks onto the animal tightening to stop it escaping; when and if the animal relaxes and stops pulling the noose can become loose.
Self-locking snares: As before is a wire loop that continuously tightens, often through a ratchet action, as the animal struggles. It only tightens and will not become loose, even if the animal relaxes and stops pulling.
Why are free-running snares legal?
So, why are these contraptions that harm animals legal in the UK (UK only allow free-running snares and not self-locking). Well they are often defended for their use in 'pest control' and wildlife management, mainly for foxes and rabbits. Additionally, they are used for trapping animals for food and research programmes. The law does state that any snare set has to be set to capture a specific animal, and must be done so not to snare others. This is due to it being illegal to snare many animals such as badgers, hedgehogs, pine martens, otters, wild cats, and red squirrels to name a few. Although, the list of what can and can’t be snared differs depending on the country (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) snares can still be placed throughout the UK but does require a permit and permission from the landowner. An additional requirement is that snares are inspected daily and set in a way to not cause injury to any wild animals (often it does).
So, what is the main problem?
After all this, there is a long debate as to if snares should be legal and if they should be banned. This is often seen by the strong criticism from animal welfare groups. The strongest argument for those in support of snares is to help control animal numbers for wildlife management and although this could be argued as being beneficial, I strongly believe that snares should not be used even for this reason. Here are my reasons to why all snares should be illegal:
Death – Simply, the reason that the snare is designed to capture a free roaming, wild animal to be killed is enough in its own right.
Stress & Pain – Prior to the animals’ death the snare will cause high amount and prolonged stress and pain, which nothing should go through.
Harm protected species – Even if snares were accepted as useful when managed correctly to helps control animal population it could have adverse affects on other wildlife. There are still times where animals (sometimes endangered) that should not be caught by the snare often are and sometimes results in their death.
The mechanism – Again if snares were accept, as above, it is still a dangerous unethical and violent option to achieve wildlife management. This is emphasized in that many snares that are set-up are set-up incorrectly and in certain locations or when they become damaged, quickly become a self-locking snare and a potentially slow killing trap.
Alternatives – Further to this, if animal control is 100% required there are many other traps with safer means of capturing the animal. These alternative do not cause as much or any harm and distress to the animal. Essentially meaning there is no real reason for the continued use of the snare.
What can you do?
After all of this I would like to think you have a negative outlook towards snares and want to do something about preventing them being used in your area or country. To help you with this there are three essential ways to go about doing this:
Sign a petition – There are tons of petitions in regards to animal welfare, protecting wildlife and importantly in this case stopping the use of snares, so you can sign them right now.
Share the news – Tell people and share information on your social media about snares and what they do. This can be to persuade them to sign the petitions above and understand the harm snares really cause.
Join a group – Much like the petition there are tons of groups who protest against cruelty to animals and for the protection of wildlife. You could join a group to get people to take notice and make a change. This can also put pressure on governments to change the law on the use of snares.
This is one of my more serious blog posts that I have done but I really hope it will make you think of what is going on in the UK and how its wildlife is managed. If you haven't guested I strongly disagree with the use of snares, due to all the issues I detailed above but mainly comes down to the prolonged pain and stress that any animal caught in one goes through. I don’t think anything should have to go through a prolonged period of pain and stress, especially before they are slaughtered. Let me know what you think and start spreading this post to get more people aware of snares and how to stop them. Finally, use the hashtag #Stopthesnare on your social media accounts to further help spread the word. Remember we can make a difference.
Updated: Feb 3, 2023
You may have seen this pop up in your news feed on your social media or even in an ad on the side of a webpage, perhaps even this one now. You may ask yourself what is 4Ocean and why should you buy or care about their bracelet. Well you should and I am here to tell you.
4Ocean have managed to market and promote the importance of saving our oceans. They have taken the devastation of waste we produce away from the ocean and helped to raise awareness doing so. This is mostly seen with their bracelets, which is a fashion accessory you really should be wearing. Even if you do not want to wear the bracelet you should still purchase one and I hope this article gives you a reason too.
Who are 4Ocean?
4Ocean is an organisation that is dedicated to clearing and preventing the trash polluting our oceans. This is the main reason you should get their bracelet. By purchasing a bracelet, 4Ocean guarantee “1 pound of trash will be removed from the ocean and coastline”. They also help to raise awareness by providing specific legacy bracelets, which focuses on a particular themes or animal to protect. I decided to get the Shark bracelet, which is partnered with Project Aware, which “Helps save Sharks”. Project Aware among many things create rallies to bring safeguards for sharks and rays, hence the name Legacy Shark Bracelet. #4sharks.
As well as collecting trash and raising awareness they focus on using '4 pillars' to achieve this, these are:
Optimising Technology: By using the latest technology to prevent, intercept and remove trash from the ocean and coastline.
Creating Jobs: They have teams and crews of people that are cleaning the ocean 24/7 and this number is increasing.
Education& Awareness: They educate everyone from individuals to governments on the impact of plastic and trash all around the world.
New Economies: They create a value out of the trash they remove,
Did you see what they did there?
The Bracelet
The bracelet whilst looking amazing and promoting your love for this planet and particularly the ocean. It is also a great sustainable accessory. This is because it is made out of 100% recycled materials. The bracelet is a unisex design with glass beads, a 4Ocean stainless steel charm with the cord made from RPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate), which is from recycled water bottles. The beads are made from recycled glass bottles. Further to the greatness of the bracelet, it is 100% waterproof, meaning you won't have to take it off. One bracelet will set you back approximately £16 ($20). However, you should take into account this is not just for the bracelet but also for removing a pound of trash from the ocean and coastline.
4Ocean also produce reusable bottles and a clean-up kit (so you can help clean up the oceans and coastline yourself). However, you could just show your support for ridding the ocean of the waste we produce by getting a bracelet and promoting 4Oceans and their ethos. Hopefully by promoting this the war on plastic and waste will become universally accepted and companies will adopt prevention's to stop negative impacts on the environment. 4Oceans bracelets are one way to promote your love for the ocean and making an impact but there are many more organisations similarly doing amazing things like this. I would love to see what you have done to remove plastic and waste from the ocean and coastline or how you have supported companies or charities like 4Ocean, so show me your support on social media (top right corner).
Updated: Feb 3, 2023
Hello Internet, welcome to my first ever blog post. I wanted to start this blog on an important day but also one with meaning that is relevant to it. Additionally, I am hoping by connecting it with a unique and well-known celebration it will encourage me to keep making more posts. For this reason, I am publishing my website and making this the first blog post today, on the 22nd April 2019 because it is Earth Day. I thought it would be fitting starting off by telling you about what Earth Day is, why you should support it and then go onto my inspiration behind this blog and my goals.
Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and is celebrated on the 22nd April every year worldwide. It is a day to celebrate the earth with significant importance of supporting and protecting the environment. Events are held all around the world with the aim to diversify, educate and activate environmental movements. Many people don’t just celebrate earth day but an 'earth week' with an entire week focused on environmental issues that are important and way we can make the situation better.
The importance of protecting the environment was shown on Earth Day by the signing of the Paris Agreement. The Paris agreement is an international agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and deals with mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement was signed by a number of countries with the aim to reduce global warming and the negative affect on the world. Although this is a great start I believe this is not enough and we all need and can do more.
Earth day is a great way to celebrate the amazing world we live in and all its inhabitants. I am celebrating earth day through this article and raising awareness to every one of its cause and by starting my journey at being a sustainable, eco-conscious individual. However, I would love to know how you have celebrated earth day and what you have been doing to protect the world.
Inspiration:
A huge inspiration for me to actually finish and publish this blog is the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Fight For Your World advert. I wanted to include it in this article, as I think it really represents Earth day and my blog. It has one of the most powerful statements I have ever heard “We are the first generation that knows we are destroying the world and can be the last that can do anything about it”. I really hope this hits home and make you realises we have a duty to change our lifestyle to save the planet and all its inhabitants. Being sustainable and eco-friendly is a step towards this and that is what my site is all about. Go watch the advert, watch it and give the WWF your support.
My Goal
I want to change many thing in my everyday life to be more sustainable and eco-friendly. I additionally hope to learn a lot more about the environment and wildlife and what I can do to protect it. I then want to use my understanding and experience to write article and blog posts to spread the word and help people join me caring for our planet. I wanted to start a blog to record and encourage myself to change my life for the better. I am doing this through a variety of ways from growing plants to looking at interesting sustainable technologies and fashion. Additionally, I hope to work on bigger projects to help create a better and healthier world. If you are interested in following my journey or want some helpful tips and advice on sustainability, gardening and protecting our world be sure to stay tunes on this blog for more.
