SCOTLAND

MSPs join animal welfare charities in celebrating snaring ban

26 Nov 2024

Animal welfare charity OneKind and conservation charity Scottish Badgers and 11 MSPs gathered outside the Scottish Parliament yesterday to celebrate Scotland’s snaring ban that has come into force.

The charity and MSPs posed beside a sign that read ‘Welcome to Scotland, a snare free country’. The sign, modelled on the ‘Welcome to Scotland’ sign at the Scottish border on the A1, is an ode to a 2010 campaign stunt the charity undertook to push for a snaring ban.

The following MSPs attended the photo stunt: Lorna Slater, Ariane Burgess, Maggie Chapman, Mark Ruskell, Karen Adam, Ben Macpherson, Stuart McMillan, Kenneth Gibson, Colin Smyth, Carol Mochan and John Mason.

Snares are wire noose traps that were set to trap animals by the neck, although capture by the abdomen or leg is also common. They inflict considerable physical and mental suffering onto the trapped animal.

OneKind Director, Bob Elliot, said: “Today is a historic day for Scotland. After decades of campaigning for a ban, we are thrilled that from today the use of snares is now illegal. For far too long, animals have endured suffering in these cruel and outdated traps. We extend our gratitude to the Scottish government for taking action to end this cruelty.

“We’re delighted that Scotland now joins the vast majority of European countries that have consigned snares to the history books.”