Video of trapped bobcat riles Las Vegas
If you're interested in how animals struggle when they're caught by trappers -- and how trappers think and act -- here you go:
This video was made by Tracy Truman, a lawyer and longtime trapper who serves as an adviser on "wildlife matters" to the Clark County government (around Las Vegas) and the Nevada Wildlife Commission.
There's a controversy about this video reported in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which quotes two Clark County commissioners calling it "mean ... disheartening" and "disgusting" and includes these details:
The demand for trapping, which has been documented in Nevada since the late 1820s, is made clear by the Nevada Trappers Association -- Truman, a 40-year trapper, is vice president of the organization. According to the group's website, bobcat fur was in high demand last year during an annual fur sale in Fallon, where 200 fur harvesters representing more than 12 states participated. More than 2,000 bobcat pelts ranging from $443 to $1,111 were sold. More than 1,500 coyote, gray fox and muskrat furs also were sold. Once the animals are killed and skinned, their pelts can be used to make fur coats.
This is a case where a picture speaks louder than words.
Ray Ring is HCN's senior editor, based in Bozeman, Montana.
