Oh, the Inhumanity...

When Carla and I were little, Dad warned us to be careful of beaver slides. Those are narrow grooves cut into the bank of the creek which beavers use to slide into the water in places where the bank is too high to easily slip into the water without jumping. He told us that people still sometimes set traps for beavers, and that the bottom of those slides would be the best place for someone to set a trap. Now, this was said to me perhaps once, when I was maybe 7 or 8, about the time that we were able to start going to the creek by ourselves. And now, 20 years later, it still sticks with me. I was totally freaked out by the idea that there may be a trap at the bottom of a slide, waiting to snap shut on my foot. Even today, I will not go down a beaver slide without checking with a stick to ensure that there is no trap at the bottom. And Carla and I both worry when we have the dogs at the creek, because they love to use beaver slides. Heck...they're not going to jump into the water from 3 feet above it when they can run down a convenient little path. And those traps don't discriminate. Just because they're set for beavers doesn't mean that they'll not catch a dog's leg, or a little girl's foot (or a big girl's foot at this point...).

Over the years, I never found a trap at the bottom of a beaver slide. But the idea still scared me. We found the occasional trap in the creek, but the worst damage that we'd get was a stubbed toe when we'd kick one on the bottom of the creek. These were old traps, rusted shut so tightly that we couldn't even pry them open without breaking them. I sort of came to believe that no one here really traps anymore. Maybe in Montana, or places like that, but not in Illinois. But I still never went down a beaver slide without checking first. And I still held my breath if I suddenly saw a dog using one.

But a couple of days ago, about 20 years after those warnings, they came true. Fortunately, not with the dire consequences I expected. I didn't step on one, the dogs weren't even with me. But I found 2 traps at the bottom of beaver slides. In areas where I have gone with the dogs for years.
First, I found a conibear trap. (Yes, I have been doing research on traps tonight. When I get upset about something and want to make things change, I do a lot of research on it. The only way to change the world is to know what is happening. That's why I also know more than I really want to know about subjects such as abortion and human trafficking.). I had never seen a conibear trap before, and wasn't entirely sure what it was. Though I was 100% certain that it was a trap. Below is what a conibear trap looks like.

Interestingly enough this image was taken from a page which teaches how to get your dog out of a trap should he/she get caught in one. Something important to know. This trap closes with roughly 90 pounds of pressure, and is called a 'body-gripping' trap. The basic idea is that the beaver will slide headfirst into it, get caught by the neck, and drown.
The second trap I found, which was within about 2 feet of the beaver's dam (which I found to be even more unfair, but that's just my opinion) was your typical leg-hold trap.

 This one though, was pulled up out of the water.

It was obvious that it had caught something and had been pulled along with it, only to be stopped by the cement block it was wired to.

By this time, I was pretty well seething. And then I turned the trap over.

I'm fairly certain that this is a beaver's paw. I'm no expert in identifying animal paws, but that is what it looks like, and it makes sense that it would be a beaver caught in this trap. There are strands of flesh dangling from it, and it looks like it was chewed and pulled on frantically until the paw came free from the leg. And really, where does that leave the beaver? Yeah, it is free, but it has a bleeding stump of a leg, and is most likely in shock. From what I have found, it is possible for a beaver to survive with a missing front paw, but that's only if it doesn't bleed to death or wind up with an infection.

I cannot even fathom how these traps are still legal. I am far more on the side of 'hunting sucks' than most people in this area. I do not get how killing animals can be fun, and it mystifies me when people are talking about the beauty of the deer or whatever they're hunting. If it's so beautiful and you love watching it, why kill it? But I do realize that, especially in places where the ecosystem is jacked up, hunting is a necessary evil. But seriously? There is absolutely no circumstance where you could convince me that trapping is necessary. If you have to kill something, no matter your reasoning, do so quickly and humanely.

I'm in the midst of trying to find bills that are being proposed which will end or at least put more restrictions on trapping. So far, I haven't found much. If you know of anything, let me know. I will also keep looking. It is not tradition, it is not a way of life that needs to be saved. It is a barbaric, inhumane practice which needs to be stopped.

This blog is actually remarkably calm for the way that I feel right now. And it only became that way through a lot of editing. It took a much harsher direction a few times. And I felt completely justified in my fury. But passion that turns into anger does nothing for anyone. If you want to make a difference, you have to be passionate about your cause while still being able to remain under control. It may be a constant struggle, but caring and knowing how to constructively express that without spouting off some of the things you'd like to say is part of being an adult. Though, at the moment, I'd be ok giving up being an adult. And I frequently feel tired of being part of the human race in general. We're messed up...