Monday, August 27, 2012

Update on the Traps

I posted my last blog post before ANY information was available on the leg traps. Luckily the media was quick to investigate and quite a bit has happened as a result.

Here's what has happened:

1. The traps have been removed while the City and University discuss their study methods.
2. The traps were only set between 8pm and dusk; however the park is open until midnight.
3. The traps were located in an on leash area (however in Nose Hill this can be difficult to discern)
4. The study is trying to determine the links between parasites in Coyotes and Dogs which is a very worth while endeavour.

My concerns:

I would like the public to be educated about what the study is doing and the areas in the park where they are conducting the study to be CLOSED to the public for the duration of the study or the traps to be removed during the day.

Signage in the parking lot as well as restricitng the pathways in would be wonderful. Many people use this park in difficult capacities so it's important to acknowledge people might get confused about where they can and can not do certain activities. They already post signs to alert the public when coyotes have been spotted in an area so I'm sure they can accomodate this.

I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to working with wildlife and that they are actively trying to track the coyotes and minimize the risk to them when being caught in a trap.

As an aside in reponse to some of the comments: these were not my dogs but a person's story that was sent to me. I don't have any updates on whether her dog was injured from the trap or not. However I can definitely understand how she ended up in that situation and let's not jump to the conclusion that she was irresponsible.

When traps are being placed in a public park the public should be aware that these are there. We know to look out for risks such as wild life, uneven terrain and other park users but leg traps were not expected.

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