Trapping Reform in Wyoming

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Dog “Sugar” killed in Conibear, Tetonia, Idaho

“Sugar” was trapped and killed by an illegally set Conibear in Tetonia, ID, our neighboring community, on Dec 29, 2020.  She was a beautiful 10-month-old King Shepherd.

Four days after getting a ball and stuffed kitten for Christmas on
December 29th my husband put our dogs’ electric collars on them and headed out for a walk.  The Tetonia Rodeo Grounds is just down the road from our ranch and is a popular walking area for walking dogs and cross country skiing.

The Conibear trap was set on public land near walking areas.

My husband desperately struggled to free Sugar but could not release the trap from around her neck. He returned home with blood dripping from his injured hands from trying to free her.

Our neighbor who teaches hunting safety went back with us to recover Sugar’s body.
Together these two big men could not free her so we had to cut the red nylon rope tie-down and carried her body to his garage where he had to use two vises to finally remove the trap.

We are absolutely devastated by the terrifying death of my precious puppy.
I called the police department who contacted the Fish and Game department.

There were no ID tags on the traps and no trapping permits issued in the area. Fish and Game found an empty can of Spam used to bait the three illegal traps. The incident is currently under investigation by Idaho Fish and Game Department.

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Know what to do if your pet is caught in a trap or snare. Download to your smartphone for access in the field.

Watch our 11-minute video: “How to Release Your Pet From a Trap

Carry tools with you if needed to help release your pet. We have assembled UNtrap Packs to make it easier for you. At a minimum, carry an aircraft cable cutter if your pet is caught in a snare. These tools could save your pet’s life.

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Have you experienced a negative trapping incident involving you, your pet, your family, or another living thing?
Please share your story on our trapping incident form so that we can help you in whatever way we can and bring the realities of trapping to a broader public. Your personal information will be respected, and you may submit anonymously.

Provide as much as possible of the following information so that your report will be as effective as possible. Include species of animal, type of trapping device, name of dog (if applicable), any injuries incurred by animals or humans involved, medical expenses, and as much additional detail as possible. Also, photos are very helpful but not required. We encourage you to include multiple photos and videos of trap, trap set area, bait, wild animal, dog, injury, and a picture of your dog without the trap to add a face to your story.

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Stay safe, everyone!

3 Comments

  • Mark Hermanson

    I’m so sorry to hear about you poor puppy. I lost my best friend, Punch last night to s illegally place Conibear trap also and I felt so helpless not being able to rescue him from the trap. He will be dearly missed. I know who set the trap and he’s been out of state for weeks now but it’s difficult since he is the president of the power dam company I work for but he should have warned us there were baited traps in the woods as many of us plant operators bring out dogs to the dams when we make out short evening generator checks. So sad…

    • Wyoming Untrapped

      Mark, What a senseless loss of your dear friend. We will reach out to your email address, if that is ok.

      • Mark

        Yes that’s ok, glad to hear from you as you know how terrible it is to lose a pooch this way.

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