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Published on 12/22/1997 All articles from this issue

Letter to the Editor

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Animal traps a contrast to season of good cheer

During this season of peace and goodwill, I am dismayed by the fur coats and fur-trimmed items I see displayed in the stores. There is no peace for wild animals this time of year when trappers set out steel-jaw leg-hold traps in California's wild lands. What I see are animals suffering and dying in traps to provide fur fashion statements. The cruelty of trapping belies the very spirit of this season.

Like the barbaric land mines that cripple and kill so many in old war zones, these leg-hold traps are land mines for wildlife. They maim and kill fur-bearing animals, as well as unintended victims such as endangered species, birds, deer and pets. Desperate for freedom and seeking safety from predators and harsh weather, some animals will escape by chewing off their own trapped limb. Like land mines, these indiscriminate, inhumane traps should have no place in a civilized world; and they have already been banned by over 80 other countries.

If enough signatures are gathered in the next month, California voters will be able to vote for a measure on next November's ballot to ban these traps. For more information, call ProPAW in Los Angeles at (310) 207-7706.

Emily Halber

Los Altos