Snaring expert defends cougar trapper

A man posing with a trapped cougar has stirred up some social media backlash, but a trapping expert thinks the criticism is unfair.

Wrangler Hamm, the president of the Saskatchewan Trappers Association, told David Kirton trapping is the most humane way to kill an animal.

“We ensure that the capture and kill of those animals is rapid — seconds, if not a couple minutes, and that’s it. Then, there is no longer suffering. The animal’s not held there, they’re not fighting, or anything like that,” he explained.

He said all traps go through rigorous testing to make sure there is minimal pain or damage to a caught animal.

He believes it’s much more humane than what an animal would naturally face in the wild.

“If Mother Nature’s doing her job, that is a cruel and unfathomable way to live and die,” he said.

“These animals are chased, they’re killed, they’re torn apart, whatever it takes for them to die. They may die from secondary infections, broken bones, you name it.”

Hamm also pointed to wildlife population control as a benefit of trapping.