Field‐Assessed Injury to Wolves Captured in Rubber‐Padded Traps

• Published in: The Journal of Wildlife Management
• Main Authors: FRAME, PAUL F., MEIER, THOMAS J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2007
• Subjects: Canis lupus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/2006-537; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.2193%2F2006-537

Abstract: Minimizing and understanding the causes of capture‐related injury should be a goal of every project that catches animals. We investigated the influence of age, weight, and sex on the field‐assessed foot injury of 96 wolves ( Canis lupus ) captured in rubber‐padded foothold traps. We then compared our results with those of 6 other types of wolf traps as reported in the literature. Injury from rubber‐padded traps was lower than that of other traps, and age, weight, or sex did not influence foot damage. Rubber‐padded foothold traps appear to be humane, and managers should consider their use for live capture of wolves.