ROCK SPRINGS — Western Wyoming Community College will host the Wyoming Untrapped Pet Safety Trap Release Workshop on October 10 at 6:30 pm in Room 1309.

The free workshop will provide pet owners with the skills necessary to extricate their pets from a trap. In addition, the organization is informing the public of ways to document and report interactions between pets and traps.

The following is the full text of the press release issued on this event.

Three ways to report a trap encounter:

Go online and submit report: wyominguntrapped.org/database or send a message to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wyominguntrapped.

You may not be aware, but there are thousands of traps and snares on our public lands that endanger you, your family, your pet(s), and wildlife every day of the year.  

To help keep pets safe, Wyoming Untrapped is hosting a trap release workshop at the Western Wyoming Community College, Room 1309, at 6:30 pm on October 10.  

This workshop is for all pet owners and public land users concerned for the safety of their pets and will teach citizens how to save their pet from a trap or snare.  

Wyoming Untrapped is a non-profit organization based in Jackson that is aiming to create a safe and humane environment for people, pets and wildlife through education and trapping regulation reform.  A large part of our mission is to educate people who are recreating on public trails about the dangers that are present to people and pets in the form of traps, snares, and M-44 cyanide poison bombs.

A properly set trap is very difficult to see and many of them are baited, which will attract your pet. There is no regulation that prohibits the placement of a trap on a trail. There is no limit to how many traps can be placed by each trapper. There are also very few limits on how many furbearing animals can be trapped each year. Trappers are not required to report what they catch, how many animals they trap or any non-target animals, such as dogs, that are caught or killed. We are asking if you see a trap, trapped animal or if you have a pet that is caught by a trap to report it to us. To submit your encounter visit https://wyominguntrapped.org/database, email us at info@wyominguntrapped.org, or call us at 307-201-2422.  You may choose to remain anonymous.

We are seeking reasonable trapping reforms such as 24-hour trap checks, area closures and setbacks (especially on popular hiking trails), signs warning trail users of the presence of traps, and required reporting of all trapped animals, including pets and livestock.  Many people are unaware that trapping occurs year-round, not just during the winter months.  While there is a trapping season for fur-bearing animals including pine marten, bobcats, mink, muskrat, weasel, badgers, and beavers, which extends from October 1 to April 30 each year, traps and snares can be set out for animals designated as predators such as coyotes, red foxes, porcupines, raccoons, and jackrabbits year-round in Wyoming without a license.  

Of continued concern are cyanide traps known as M-44s.  M-44s are baited, spring-loaded traps meant to kill coyotes and foxes.  When the trap is triggered, a sodium cyanide capsule breaks open and the powder is ejected into the animal’s mouth. When the sodium cyanide powder is mixed with saliva, it turns to cyanide gas which is then inhaled.  In Wyoming, they can be placed by government trappers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or by private trappers who have taken a training course and have passed a written examination. In March 2017 three dogs were killed in Idaho and Wyoming from M-44s. We will explain the regulations and laws surrounding M-44s and how to identify them in the field.  

Wyoming Untrapped Program Director, Kristin Combs, states, “Wyoming’s public trails are for all citizens. One user group shouldn’t have all the rights while another has none. Trail setbacks, area closures to trapping, warning signs, and 24hour trap-checks would go a long way to preventing pets from being caught or injured by traps and snares. Until changes are implemented to Wyoming’s archaic trapping regulations, we are taking the opportunity to raise awareness and try and prevent as many pet deaths and injuries as possible. The knowledge gained at our workshops are the best defense pet owners have to save their pet’s life.”

Please join us on October 10 in Room 1309 at the Western Wyoming Community College for our trap release workshop.  

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain hands-on experience with traps and snares.  Come learn in a calm, controlled environment before being in a desperate situation to save your pet’s life.

Thank you to our generous sponsors, Western Wyoming Community College, Rotary Club of Rock Springs, Sweetwater BOCES, Holiday Inn Rock Springs, Four Paws Pet Service, and the Humane Society of the U.S. for sponsoring this important community safety event. 

Email: info@wyominguntrapped.org

Call: 307-201-2422