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New Mexico Residents Tell Their Stories of Encountering Traps
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People's Forum Panel Report on Public Lands Trapping Report Released
The New Mexico Legislature should ban trapping on public lands in New Mexico because traps harm people, animal companions, and whole populations of wildlife including rare species. Most New Mexican voters believe that trapping is cruel and unnecessary.
Traps on Public Lands
Traps indiscriminately harm people, pets and wildlife and should be banned on public lands. Learn More »
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Trap Free New Mexico Legislative Updates
March 6, 2013: House Bill 579 Dies in Committee
The bill that would have prohbited most trapping and poisoning of wildlife on our public lands was tabled by a 6-5 vote in the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Monday. Thank you to everyone who wrote and called committee members and their legislators. It was the first year this issue was heard, and it generated a lot of valuable discussion. We lost by one vote in committee and we will be back! Read the Legislative roundup from March 5, 2013.
February 26, 2013: House Bill 316 Dies in House Floor Vote
A bill that would have prohbited commerical coyote killing contests passed the House Judiciary Committe with a 9-6 but died on the floor after a vote of 30-38.
Trap Free New Mexico News
HB 579 NM WILDLIFE PROTECTION & PUBLIC SAFETY ACT AN ACT RELATING TO WILDLIFE; ENACTING THE NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE PROTECTION AND PUBLIC SAFETY ACT; PROVIDING FOR RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF TRAPS AND POISONS. More »
HB 316 NO ANIMAL-KILLING CONTESTS RELATING TO ANIMALS; PROHIBITING ANIMAL-KILLING CONTESTS. More »
Leg-hold traps nothing but inhumane February 19, 2013 - Traps cruelly and inhumanely destroy wild and domesticated animals. Traps are not only a cruel and inhumane method of killing animals, but there is no science being used by N.M. Department of Game and Fish to manage this wildlife. Colorado and Arizona have banned traps. The use of leg-hold traps is a practice that should end. More »
ABQ kitten caught in trap - Police looking for owner of illegal trap February 7, 2013 - A steel trap closed on the foot of a kitten recently in Albuquerque, injuring the animal so badly that part of its paw had to be amputated. The trap removed the skin and exposed the bone on two toes. Animal Welfare officers believe someone set the trap in the Thomas Village area near Rio Grande and Indian School. More »
Editorial: Coyote shoot unworthy of hunting tradition November 15, 2012 - The notion that the Western tradition of hunting is to reward the person who brings back the most pelts is true - but only if modern hunters want to emulate the shameful example of buffalo hunting. It's time that the state of New Mexico makes these kill-all-you-see hunts illegal. More »
Editorial: Slaughter of Coyotes an Abomination Against Nature November 15, 2012 - The coyote killing "contest" being hosted this weekend by Gunhawk Firearms in Los Lunas is a disgrace to the state of New Mexico and to the ethics of hunting. With farms in New Mexico and northern California, we are no strangers to firearms or coyotes. But the days of mass killings of any wildlife should be long gone. More »
Ranchers, activists disagree on coyote killing contest November 9, 2012 - LOS LUNAS, N.M.
A contest to kill the most coyotes in rural New Mexico has sparked support and protest. GunHawk Firearms is moving forward with a contest that would reward the person who slays the most coyotes with three guns. Animal Protection New Mexico called the contest "repulsive." More »
New Mexico coyote killing contest causes outrage
November 5, 2012 - LOS LUNAS, N.M. Backlash over a controversial coyote hunt is building as opponents launch an online petition. The online petition against Gunhawk Firearm's weekend coyote hunt has been posted for less than a day and already has nearly 7,000 signatures. More »
Conservation groups sue to end trapping of wolverines in Montana - October 15, 2012 - Conservationists asked a state judge to end trapping of wolverines in Montana at a time when fewer than 300 of the elusive animals roam the Northern Rockies and Northern Cascades. "The state doesn't want to admit wolverines are almost extinct," said Michael Garrity, head of Alliance for the Wild Rockies. More »
State has spent more than $200K defending wolf lawsuit - August 29, 2012: SANTA FE - The lobo lawsuit escalated to six figures in five months. NM State wildlife managers spent more than $216,000 on outside attorneys in less than half a year to defend against a claim that they violated the federal Endangered Species Act relating to Mexican gray wolves. More »
Science News: Increase in Lyme Disease Mirrors Drop in Red Fox Numbers - June 18, 2012: The loss of red foxes can result in an increase in the abundance of the smaller animals that serve as hosts for bacteria-carrying ticks. Red foxes may have once kept those populations under control. More »
New Mexico Game and Fish Department Hires Washington, D.C. Law Firm to Defend Trapping in Wolf Recovery Area: Allocates $385,000 for Legal Fight for Policy that Kills Mexican Wolves - June 04, 2012: SANTA FE, NM - WildEarth Guardians has released records received from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish indicating that the state has reserved $385,000 in public funds to hire outside counsel to defend its current and ongoing authorization of coyote, skunk, and "furbearer" trapping within the Mexican gray wolf recovery area. Read the story »
Panel asks state to ban animal traps in New Mexico - April 12, 2012: FARMINGTON, NM - Ninety percent of New Mexico residents believe trapping should be banned on public lands, according to a report released today by a panel of seven New Mexico citizens. The report was created through online surveys organized by the People's Forum on Public Lands Trapping in New Mexico. Read the story »
Teen To Push for Trap Bans After Pet Dog Ensnared - March 6, 2012: A dog was caught in a wildlife trap during a family hike north of Taos on Feb. 26, not far from where a couple of dogs were caught in traps in late 2010. Read the story »
Groups Formally Call Upon New Mexican Officials to Ban Traps - Conservation Groups Formally Call Upon New Mexican Officials to Ban Traps Cruel, Indiscriminate, and Harmful to Wildlife and Recreationists. Read Story »
Trapped in the Past - New Mexicans are increasingly moving toward a consensus that foothold trapping of furbearer animals ought to be more closely regulated, if not mostly banned, as our neighbors in Arizona did in 1994. Unfortunately, the New Mexico State Game Commission has taken steps in the opposite direction. The game commission must stop ignoring public concerns about trapping. Read Editorial »
Pet Cat Sliced Nearly in Half by a Kill Trap - Caught right behind his front legs, the deadly snare quickly sliced through the cat's muscle tissue down to his abdominal cavity. From the description of his injuries it would appear that Churchill was victimized by a body-gripper trap although it is remotely possible that a common leghold snare was the villain. More »
Minnesota Man Says Hidden Traps Are Killing Pets - John Reynolds of Merrifield lost his dog Penni when she got caught in what's called a "Body Grip Trap." Read the story »
Traps pose threat to hunting dogs - Gerald Noska is still mourning the loss of his prized hunting dog, Sue, an English setter killed in a trap recently. Read the story »
Group files lawsuit over trapping in NM - Environmental group WildEarh Guardians is suing NM wildlife managers over a decision last summer to lift a trapping ban in southwestern New Mexico where the federal government is reintroducing Mexican gray wolves. Read Story »
ABQ Journal Editorial: N.M. Needs an Open Debate on All Trapping - There's been a lot of debate surrounding the state's decision to once again allow trapping in the wolf recovery area in southwestern New Mexico. There needs to be more, and it needs to cover more territory. Read Editorial »
NM Game Commission Votes to End Trapping Ban in Wolf Recovery Area - A subspecies of the gray wolf, the Mexican gray wolf was added to the endangered species list in 1976 after it was all but wiped out due to hunting and trapping. Read Story »
Non-selective Traps Ensnare Dogs and Hikers - NMDGF isn't required to alert hikers when traps are in the area. Many dogs caught in traps have been severely injured or killed. Read Reports »
Hikers Encounter Coyote Crushed in Leg-Hold Trap - Groups are also concerned for threats that traps pose to hikers and pets. Read story »
I Support Trap-Free Public Lands in New Mexico!
Many New Mexicans from diverse backgrounds are taking a stand against public lands trapping. Whether you are an artist, doctor, or elelmentary school student, let us know that you want to make New Mexico's public lands safe!
New Mexicans value the wildlife that still roams the state's deserts, grasslands, and forests. In fact, 63% of New Mexican voters believe that traps should be restricted or abolished on public land. Public lands and wildlife belong to us all, yet these vicious devices diminish and threaten these values. Join the movement to ban traps on public lands in New Mexico!
About Us
Trap Free New Mexico seeks to enact a ban on traps on public lands for the sake of public safety and New Mexico's native wildlife.
FAQ on Trapping
Traps are inhumane and indiscriminate, capturing and killing pets and wildlife, harming individuals and entire wildlife populations, even imperiled species such as Mexican wolves. More »
Take Action
Tell the New Mexico Game Commission that you want to see a total ban of trapping on our public lands.
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Contact Your State Legislators
Contact your New Mexico State Senator and Representative and let them know you want traps banned from public lands.
