A young female coyote is back in the wild after surviving a terrifying encounter with an illegal steel-jawed leg-hold trap near Fairfield, California — and the rescue is serving as a warning of the dangers these devices pose, KCRA reported.
Here's what to know
Authorities were contacted after someone in the area came across the young coyote, which was caught in a steel-jawed trap anchored in the ground near Suisun Valley and Rockville roads outside Fairfield. The animal was then freed and taken to the Solano Wildlife Rescue and Education Center for treatment.
At the nonprofit rescue center, founder Amy Pedrioli said the coyote was treated for soft-tissue injuries and fortunately avoided the kind of lasting damage these traps often cause, according to KCRA. After roughly two-and-a-half weeks of rehabilitation, the animal was healthy enough to return to the wild.
California law largely bars people from using or authorizing steel-jawed leg-hold traps for wildlife, dogs, or cats, and KCRA reported that the limited exception is for authorized government workers in extraordinary cases involving human health or safety. The rescue center also shared images of the coyote and the trap.
Under the California Fish and Game Code, violations can result in fines of $300 to $2,000, up to 1 year in county jail, or both.
More background
From ground squirrels and opossums to coyotes, the Solano Wildlife Rescue and Education Center cares for injured, sick, and orphaned mammals from around Solano County.
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To underscore how sheerly inhumane these traps are for animals, Pedrioli described the devices in stark terms.
"These traps are super, super horrible," she said, adding the gruesome detail that "many animals will actually gnaw off their legs, their arms, whatever is stuck in there. It does a lot of irreversible damage where they will have to be euthanized."
What can be done?
If someone finds what appears to be a trap, KCRA reported that they should stay a safe distance away, avoid touching it, and not try to remove it. Instead, they should note the location and report it to their local sheriff's office or the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Authorities have not yet found out who reportedly placed the trap.
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