Dog walker spotted badger caught in illegal snare in Somersham
A DOG walker helped save a badger after it was caught in a trap in Somersham.
Glynn Rowell told The Hunts Post that he spotted the distressed badger while walking through the Chapel Field Lane allotment with his dog on Friday (March 2) and tried to free the animal from a snare at a sett entrance.
“I looked over and noticed something protruding from one of the setts and went over to take a look,” he said. “I had to call a friend, Andy Bell, to help me, as badgers are strong and vicious things and I couldn’t manage it on my own.”
He added: “It is a despicable act by whoever did this, to persecute an innocent animal.”
The 43-year-old, who has worked in pest control, said the snare was home-made and had a noose made from 4mm stainless steel wire.
“The trap was lying in the entrance to the sett. If it had gone round the badger’s neck, it would have suffocated him, but luckily it was trapped just above his rear leg.
“The wire was so strong that we couldn’t cut it with wire cutters.
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“Dog walkers frequently use the allotment, so it could have done some real damage to anything else caught in the trap.”
A police spokesman said: “We were called at 5.30pm to reports of a badger trapped in a trap in Chapel Field Lane. Officers attended and released the badger from the trap.”
A spokesman for the RSPCA said: “We received reports of a badger being trapped in a snare in Somersham. We are looking into this and will come up with a way forward shortly.”
The Hunts Post had previously received reports from members of the public concerned that badgers were being trapped in Somersham, but neither the police nor RSPCA had been informed.
INFORMATION: Anyone with information should call Cambridgeshire police on 101 or the RSCPA animal cruelty helpline on 0300 1234 999.
