I live in a small, rural community where many of my neighbours are passionately pro-hunt and shooting enthusiasts. Jayne isn’t my real name, but I daren't identify myself for fear of recrimination. That’s why I haven’t shared a picture of Oliver either, though I wish I could.
Wildlife snare...
I would like to tell you Oliver's story. Although it begins over ten
years ago, the memory of that dreadful day hasn’t faded at all. It’s
a difficult story to tell, but I promise you, it has a happy ending.
It was a bitterly cold February morning...the ground was frozen
hard. I was driving out to do my family shop, when I saw Oliver
trudging slowly across a field with what I first thought was
something in his mouth. He’d always been an outdoor explorer, so at
first I assumed he’d become tangled in some vegetation. I then
realised with horror he had a metal object clamped to his front leg.
By the time he reached the fence by my side he was clearly exhausted
and in agony.
Oliver is my beloved cat. He’d been caught in a trap.
Every second was vital if he was going to survive
There was no time for shopping, I had to get Oliver to the vet
immediately. He was rushed into surgery within hours. The crushing
injuries were so severe that amputation was the only option. He’d
need at least three weeks caged convalescence which for a semi-wild
cat like Oliver would be awful, but euthanasia was out of the
question. I couldn’t lose him.
But, here’s the happy ending I promised you; Oliver recovered and
adapted well to life on three legs. He lived a long, happy life for
over a decade, although his former adventurous lifestyle was largely
over. He lived well into old age, becoming firm friends with our
Border Collie, despite initial misgivings!
It’s still happening every day. It needs to stop.
It’s happening all around us. Snares and traps are widely used by
the shooting industry to protect their farmed ‘game’ birds from
natural predators so they can be shot for ‘sport’. I’m so grateful
to the League Against Cruel Sports, who are dedicated to ending the
use of these brutal contraptions. Like you, I can’t bear to see the
suffering of these innocent animals. Please give a little today, to
help them, if you can.
I’m so thankful Oliver survived, but so many animals aren’t so
lucky. These traps are indiscriminate. They cause a slow, agonizing
death to any animal caught – this can be a fox, badger, rabbit or,
like Oliver, a beloved companion. It’s heartbreaking.
I’ll never know who set the trap but it was probably someone I know.
I live in a small, rural community where many of my neighbours are
passionately pro-hunt and shooting enthusiasts. Jayne isn’t my real
name, but I daren't identify myself for fear of recrimination.
That’s why I haven’t shared a picture of Oliver either, though I
wish I could.
I hope you can support the League and help them to build a more
compassionate society, where I don’t need to hide behind a false
name to share my awful experience with you. Please give a little
today, to help animals escape this terrible suffering.