Live Capture Traps

What is a live capture trap?

A live capture trap is a trap that is triggered by animals stepping onto a treadle which then causes the gate of the trap to close and the animal will become trapped. You put bait behind the treadle in order for animals to go in and take the bait. Live capture traps have been found to be one of the most humane traps due to when the animal is trapped the trap itself doesn’t kill the animal.

There are many strict animal welfare regulations that come with the use of live capture traps, there could be fines up to $5,000 for any individual that goes against these laws and regulations. The animal welfare regulations can be found here: https://www.mpi.govt.nz and https://www.legislation.govt.nz

Predator Free Franklin has information about the legal obligations for live capture traps with sensors, specifically with the Tawhiti Cage. Some examples of these legal obligations are:

• You or someone you know must visit and check the trap within 24 hours of a notification of the capture of any animal, the sensor will detect this.
• The person who visits the trap must remove any live animal that is found in the trap and either attend to and care for the animal or kill it in a humane way.

An important legal obligation is:

• If you do catch a cat you must note that under the Wild Animal Control Act 1977 it’s illegal to to release a feral cat once it has been caught. Go to  Auckland Council cat control guidelines to find more. To find out more useful information about live capture traps and cats you should visit here.

These and the rest of the legal obligations can be found here: https://predatorfreefranklin.nz/how-to-use-a-double-ended-live-catch-trap/ under ‘Legal obligations ‘

There is also more information that can be found about the legal policies on live capture trapping can be found on the NZ Vet Agency site : https://nzva.org.nz/policy-advocacy/policies/feral/ under ‘Live Trapping’