Badger cub left hanging by neck in illegal snare trap sparks fury over 'horrific' devices

A young badger was left hanging by its neck ‘for days’ after being caught in an illegal snare trap sparking fresh fury over the ‘horrific’ devices. Alexis Fleming was called to the scene in the Skyeburn area of Dumfries and Galloway last month after a member of the public spotted the youngster in distress.

The charity worker was horrified to discover more than 20 strands of wire had wrapped tightly around the animal’s neck and body as it frantically tried to chew itself free. The youngster was rushed to the Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Centre in Beith, Ayrshire, where they were able to fully remove the remaining wire before treating the wounds it had caused.

Alexis, 41, who runs the Maggie Fleming Animal Hospice in Kirkcudbright, said: “I got a call from a member of the public saying they had found a badger that was covered in mud and clearly in distress. There was nothing mentioned about a snare at that point.

“I got all my things together and headed out. On my way there, I got a second call to tell me that they were actually hanging from the third rung of the gate. That’s when I realised it was a snare we were dealing with.

“I reckon he had been there at least a couple of days. He was hanging by his neck, terrified and fighting for his life. You could see all the marks on the gate where he’d been trying to chew himself free.

Charity worker Alexis Fleming was able to cut the animal free

“There were stones set at the bottom of the gate and the snare was hanging down between them. It caught him by the neck and the only thing that actually saved him was that he was able to sit on top of one of those stones which took some of the pressure off his neck.

“I put a crate behind him because the worst thing that could have happened was I cut him free and he runs off with this thing around his neck because that’s a guaranteed horrible death.

“I sat down next to him and said ‘look mate, there’s only going to be one way for me to do this but you’re going to have to let me’. Bless him, he did. He didn’t wriggle or move a muscle the entire time I was doing it.

“It felt like forever. I had to cut through so many wires - maybe 20 or so. There were metal bits on it, almost like barbed wire, and they were embedded in his neck. I realised there was no more I could do for him there and I needed to get him to Hessilhead as fast as I could.

The critter is believed to have been trapped for days

“There was quite a lot of tissue damage and it was quite necrotic but he’s doing really well now and will hopefully be released back into the wild. It’s not often these animals get out of snare traps alive. The sooner they’re banned altogether, the better.”

A police investigation to catch the person responsible for setting the illegal snare is underway. The Scottish SPCA has also backed calls for all snare traps to be made illegal.

Chief superintendent, Mike Flynn, said, “We often receive reports of animals caught in snares who have been caused an immense amount of suffering, leading to their death. Snaring is legal subject to very stringent conditions.

“We see a lot of cases of illegal snaring, or legal snares being used unlawfully. The use of snares is very technical and time-consuming and unless a person is willing to dedicate the time and effort, it’s highly likely an animal’s welfare will be compromised.

“Snares are non-selective and can just as easily harm a domestic animal as well as non-targeted wildlife. We’ve responded to calls from members of the public who suspect their cat or dog has been injured by a snare.

“The suffering an animal endures in a snare is horrific and while snaring continues, suffering will continue. The Scottish SPCA is in favour of an outright ban on the use of snares in Scotland.”