Animal Rightists Frustrate DEP Trapping Management

In a statement released today by Connecticut Trappers Association, Public Relations Director, Robert Andryzeck commenting on the purchase of the State Land trapping rights by an animal activist group, he observed that:

“Animal activists have today done with money and emotion what they could not do with science and logic.” He noted that recently the activists were unable to persuade Hartford Superior Court Judge Carl Schuman to stop the awarding of State Land trapping rights through a bidding process. Indeed, in an October 5th ruling, the court found that trapping “ … serves a number of important public policy objectives. Among them … the protection of persons … property … endangered species … wetlands, … as well as a variety of recreational and cultural interests. “ The Court further found that, “ At times, there are no reasonable alternatives to lethal trapping. “

Unable to stop state land trapping in Court, a small group of animal activists has for the time being, usurped the judgement of DEP professional wildlife managers through the State Land trapping bid process. While the activists today tout their purchase of the state land trapping rights as a victory, the Connecticut Trappers Association believes that this tactic flies in the face of sound wildlife management policy.

Mr. Andryzeck cites the recent escalation of conflicts between humans and certain furbearers as evidence of the necessity of trapping. Connecticut has recently increased beaver harvest limits to address mounting citizen complaints of property damage by beaver. He notes that one need look no further than Massachusetts, which recently banned trapping and now faces an exploding beaver population and millions of dollars of potential property damage. He further observes that Connecticut has over the past few years weathered one of the most severe rabies outbreaks in modern times. Since 1991, the CT Dept. of Health has confirmed approx. 4355 animals have tested positive with rabies.

Connecticut trappers remove primarily aquatic furbearers such as beaver, muskrat, raccoon, and mink. These animals exist in Connecticut in healthy and abundant numbers and their populations are not endangered or threatened by trapping. Mr. Andryzeck echoed the Court’s observation that trapping does indeed serve the public interest and

Mr. Andryzeck warns that sportsman statewide should be aware that animal activist philosophy will soon be knocking on their door. Recently, campaigns have been waged against both hunting, fishing, and suprisingly enough, medical research. No sportsman should be precluded from pursuing their legally sanctioned activity based upon the emotional opinions of a few activists.

Animal rights activists said Friday they had submitted winning bids on about 90 percent of all state lands open to animal trapping, a move they say will keep the parcels trapping free this winter.

Supporters of two animal rights groups — Friends of Animals and the Animal Rights Front — had obtained trapping licenses and taken the state's trapping program, entitling them to bid on the 122 parcels that are annually opened for trapping.

Bob Orabona, operations director for Friends of Animals, said the group submitted the winning bid on 109 of 122 parcels, totaling about 148,000 acres. With the winning bid comes exclusive rights on a parcel to use leg traps and box traps to catch and kill animals. The organizations, of course, plan to do no trapping.

Attorney Derek V. Oatis of Manchester, who represents the animal rights organizations, said they submitted bids ranging from $1 to $1,200, depending on the expected value of a parcel to trappers and past bidding. The bids totaled about $30,000. The average bid was about $275, according to the groups. The program is managed by the state Department of Environmental Protection, which could not immediately verify the results.

Trapping season begins in November and continues through mid-March. The DEP and the animal rights groups have clashed in court over the trapping program in the past. The DEP last year tried to block access to the bidding to traditional trappers, but failed in court. The legal fight led to a cancellation of any trapping on state lands last year. This year the activists tried to stop the trapping program, but they failed in court and turned to their bidding strategy instead.

There is potential for the controversy to continue. Paul Rego, the wildlife biologist at the DEP in charge of the program, said individuals with the rights to a parcel are obligated to conduct trapping if an animal is judged a nuisance. If the winning bidder refuses to do so then someone else can be given permission to trap on the parcel, he said.

Oatis said the animal rights activists are prepared to fulfill that obligation, using traps to capture animals alive and relocate them. The most common problem in the state is beaver dams that cause flooding of private property or roads or deluge wetlands that are important habitats for other animals, Rego said.

The controversy could come over what is considered a nuisance. Oatis, for example, said the groups would not be willing to capture otters that are reducing fish stock for recreational fishing, a practice that has been done in the past.

The animals that can be trapped in Connecticut are river otter, beaver, mink, muskrat, weasel, coyote, gray fox, red fox, raccoon, opossum and skunk. A license, but no state approval, is needed to trap these animals on private land.

“More than anything, it's the cruelty of this activity that motivates these groups to try and stop it,” Oatis said. “They (the DEP) claim this is a way to manage wildlife. If so, it's the most bizarre and brutal way of doing it.”

Trappers, however, defend the activity, saying most animals are killed quickly by the traps and that, by doing daily checking, they ensure no animal lingers in a trap for long.

Animal rights activists trying to outfox trappers
They hope to tie up all state land available for trapping

By Paul Choiniere - More Articles
Published on 10/27/2000

Ready to spend more than $36,000 for that purpose, the activists are attempting to outbid trappers for the right to trap and kill everything from river otters to red foxes on all 122 parcels the state makes available for trapping.

The activists won't be doing any trapping, of course. And if they get control of the lands, they won't allow anyone else to do any, either. Friends of Animals and the Animal Rights Front are working together to try to cease control of trapping parcels.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is scheduled to open the bids today. The trapping season begins next month and continues through March. The exclusive right to trap on a parcel is good for a year.

Claude “Tip” Garritt of Columbia, a member of the Connecticut Trappers' Association, said the activists are unfairly trying to deny trappers access to an activity allowed by law.

Trappers are growing aggravated, he said. Last year there was no trapping on public lands because a court fight between the activists and the state led to the season's cancellation.

In a recent decision, Hartford Superior Court Judge Carl Schuman rejected an attempt by the animal rights activists to block the coming trapping season. Schuman said at the time that the DEP made a strong case that trapping is necessary to protect other animals, farms, wetlands and people's property.

The animals that can be trapped in Connecticut are river otter, beaver, mink, muskrat, weasel, coyote, gray fox, red fox, raccoon, opossum and skunk. Trappers need a $20 license, but not state approval, to trap on their own property or property where they have the owner's permission.

“Many (of these) wildlife species are abundant in Connecticut, so much so that some species frequently damage property and cause other conflicts with humans,” said DEP Deputy Commissioner David Leff. The DEP annually receives hundreds of complaints about property damage caused by beavers, raccoons, coyote and foxes, he said.

The 122 sites opened to trapping include 697 acres of the Assekonk Swamp in North Stonington, more than 1,000 acres on Barn Island in Stonington, and nearly 4,000 acres of Nehantic State Forest in Lyme, East Lyme, Old Lyme and Salem.

Bids for the right to trap on the parcels can range from tens of dollars to hundreds of dollars, depending on how fertile the trapping area, said Paul Rego of the DEP. Rego is a wildlife biologist and director of the trapping program.

Bill Mannetti, speaking for the animal rights groups, said 31 animal rights supporters have submitted bids covering all 122 parcels, totaling 160,000 acres.

“When the sealed bids are opened ... we'll know how astute our bidding has been and we'll have a rough idea how many animals will be spared,” Mannetti said.

There are two primary kinds of traps: the leg trap that clamps on an animal's leg and a box trap that snaps shut and kills the animal quickly. Animals recovered alive from leg traps are usually shot and killed. Animals are trapped for their pelts, to be stuffed as trophies or simply because they are a nuisance. Non-killing traps are used to move animals to different locations.

Rego said trapping is carefully regulated. Traps must be checked every day and there are restrictions on trap size and placement. Critics say it kills indiscriminately when other animals wander into the traps.

Animal rights groups began bidding in 1986, obtaining two parcels. By 1998 they had managed to win the rights for 35 of the parcels, totaling 47,000 acres. In response to the strategy, the DEP has trimmed land rights from four years to one, so that activists cannot tie up trapping lands for long periods.

In 1999 the DEP, feeling the intent of the program was being undermined, began requiring proof that those submitting bids were actually capturing animals. That led to a court fight and the suspension of the program for the 1999-2000 trapping season.

Now the department has returned to the 1998 rules, only requiring that bidders have a trapper's license and proof they took the state's trapping course. All its bidders meet the requirements, Mannetti said. There are about 400 licensed trappers in Connecticut.

A Superior Court judge’s ruling on Thursday, October 5, denied the most recent attempt by animal rights groups to impede a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) program that allows the trapping of animals such as beavers, raccoons, coyotes and muskrats on selected state properties. The animal rights groups sought an injunction to halt this year’s state land trapping program. The program, which was established over 40 years ago, is important for managing wildlife on state forests and wildlife management areas. Also, the program allows persons who are licensed to trap and have completed a trapping education course the opportunity to harvest furbearing animals.

The judge discounted the animal rights groups’ claims that the state land trapping program unreasonably destroys natural resources and thereby violated state law. The judge also discounted the assertion that this year’s guidelines violated an earlier settlement in which DEP agreed to remove a requirement that trappers demonstrate past trapping experience; a requirement that animal rights activists claimed excluded them from purchasing trapping permits.

The requirement was put forward by DEP to help ensure that knowledgeable and experienced trappers will participate in trapping on state lands to ensure proper application of this wildlife management tool.

Evidence and testimony indicated many potential benefits from regulated trapping, including habitat protection, reducing or resolving property damage caused by some animals and the use of trapped animals for food and pelts. Testimony also highlighted that trapping is strictly regulated and only allowed for common species.

"Many wildlife populations are abundant in Connecticut, so much so that some species frequently damage property and cause other conflicts with humans," said DEP Deputy Commissioner David K. Leff. The DEP annually receives hundreds of complaints from citizens about beavers, raccoons, coyotes and foxes.

The judge’s ruling allows trapping opportunities to be assigned for this winter’s trapping season. In denying the animal rights groups’ application for a temporary injunction, the judge reasoned that such an action would essentially shut down the 2000 trapping season on state lands with all its attendant benefits to the ecology, the economy and the recreational interests of Connecticut citizens.

Trapping Bids Delayed As Activists Seek Injunction
The Associated Press
September 27, 2000

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) A Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered the Department of Environmental Protection to delay bidding for trapping rights on state land while he hears the complaints of animal rights groups who claim they are being denied access to the process.

Bidding on 122 parcels of land was scheduled to open Oct. 2. But two groups, Friends of Animals and the Animal Rights Front, are seeking an injunction that force the DEP to drop a requirement that would force those who bid to actually trap animals.

The groups also sued the DEP last year after the agency tried to require that fur trappers prove they have experience in order to bid for access to state land.

DEP officials said they wanted to ensure only experienced trappers worked on state land. The agency said their help is needed to control the population of beavers, raccoons, foxes and other animals.

But the animal rights groups had argued the law was meant to shut them out. The group and others had bought rights to 47,000 acres in 1988, as a way to prevent trapping on that land.

The court challenge forced the cancellation of the 1999 trapping season. Earlier this month, the DEP agreed to withdraw the experience requirement and the activists agreed to drop their request for an injunction.

But the activists claim a new proposal by DEP Commissioner Arthur Rocque to require that those awarded trapping rights capture a minimum number of animals would also shut them out.

''This is very much the same principal here,'' said Bill Manetti, of Animal Rights Front.

DEP officials declined to comment on the ruling.

The trapping season runs from November to March.

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