CT: leg-hold buffer zone

Post date: Mar 28, 2012 6:07:45 PM

Connecticut General Assembly 2/28/2012: Representative Kim Rose and the Select Committee on Children introduced the following trap-regulation bill HB 5324.

Original proposal for new trapping regulations (to be added to the Connecticut General Statutes, Section 26-72):

Reasons for bill: reports of companion animals being caught in illegal leghold traps. In an incident in Ansonia Connecticut, children found a companion animal (cat) caught in a leghold trap. The cat later had to be euthanized. This bill seeks to keep children safe by restricting where leghold traps may be placed.

Any person who sets, places or attends any trap shall report each incident of the trapping of a nontarget animal to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection within twenty-four hours.

As used in this subsection, "nontarget" animal means an animal of a species not intended to be taken.

(c) No person shall place any leghold trap on or within one thousand five hundred feet of the real property comprising a public or private elementary or secondary school, licensed child day care center, as defined in section 19a-77, that is identified as a child day care center by a sign posted in a conspicuous place, state park, municipal park, municipal playground, public boat launch, public road, public highway, roadside rest area, public picnic area, public campground, blazed trail or state hiking trail. As used in this subsection, "leghold trap" means a device designed to close on the foot or leg of an animal with sufficient force to hold the animal until the person tending the trap returns, and includes, but is not limited to, a steel jawed leghold style trap that is either padded or unpadded. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent any person duly authorized by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection from setting a leghold trap within one thousand five hundred feet of such areas listed in this subsection to control nuisance wildlife.

Amendments by the Joint Committee:

  • deleted “one thousand five hundred” and replaced with “seven hundred fifty”.
  • deleted “public road” and “public highway”.

Status on 3/28/2012:

Referred to the House and Senate Committees on Environment.

Summary by SS-Slocum.info

  1. It's not clear to me why this discussion, news article, and legislation are limited to leg-hold traps, and don't mention body-gripping traps. Body-gripping traps are allowed in CT Statues Title 26, Chapter 490, Section 26-72 and in the CT Trapping Regulations.
  2. Controversial: require the reporting of non-target leg-hold trapping incidents (e.g. family pets that are injured or killed in leg-hold traps).
  3. Not controversial: prohibit leg-hold trapping near places where children play.
  4. Hot-button controversial: prohibit leg-hold trapping along roads except by State contractors.

Response by the National Trappers Association

There is a Raised Bill ( HB 5324 ) that is within the Select Committee on Children that is targetted to impose unrealistic restrictions on the placement of foot-hold traps.

This Bill is just another ploy to initiate an elimination of trapping by placing these unnecessary limitations on where we can place our traps.

We need OPPOSITION of this Bill in numbers at the scheduled Public Hearing scheduled for Tuesday 03/06/2012.

If you cannot attend in person, send in your written tesomony and/or contact the members of this Committee to state your opposition.