Posted November 29, 2012 by Annie Leal
Steel-jaw traps are even more painful than they look—they will snap their metal teeth shut on the limb of anyone who steps on them. A raccoon in Portsmouth, Virginia, was one recent victim. 
This cutie was scurrying through the grass in a quiet neighborhood when he suddenly collapsed in pain. As the serrated teeth of a steel-jaw trap ground into his muscles, he began frantically trying to escape—he even tried chewing off his own leg! But as he tried to escape the pain, he became lodged in a resident’s fence.
When the homeowners discovered the gruesome scene, they immediately called both animal control and PETA. Our Community Animal Project fieldworkers rushed to the home and helped the animal control officer free the suffering raccoon from the fence and the cruel trap. The officer then whisked him back to the animal control office and quickly ended his misery. Unfortunately, none of the neighbors knew who had set the trap, and our fieldworkers couldn’t find the person responsible.
Not only are steel-jaw traps one of the cruelest methods of wildlife control, they are also ineffective! Have any wild neighbors? E-mail us at peta2@peta2.com for some tips on how to easily and humanely keep them at bay, and don’t forget to check out our guide on how to handle an animal emergency!
peta2 Street Team Coordinator + lover of vegan food, cats, animal rights, Dawson's Creek, and Harry Potter.
Hello! My name is Nina, and I am a musician-in-training, and I play 7 instruments. I am a liberal, an LGBT activist, avid reader, composer, singer, and poi spinner. I am vegan, and a strong supporter of animal rights.
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201 days ago
0
Poor baby!