The US Fish & Wildlife Service, and the US Department of
Agriculture, cite control of furbearers as vital to protection of
endangered species, for protection of crops and domestic livestock, and to
reduce predation on certain other wildlife.. In addition, human health and
safety are endangered when disease bearing wildlife are uncontrolled, and
people are exposed to diseases such as rabies, plague, and encephalitis.
The regulated and appropriate use of foothold traps is endorsed by the
International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA), the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(IUCN), the Wildlife Management Institute, and the Congressional Sportsmens
Caucus.
IAFWA has sponsored a systematic evaluation of traps and trapping
systems which shall result in recommendations of the "Best Management
Practices" (BMPs) for capturing the twenty-three furbearer species
found in North America. In 1997, representatives of all state fish and
wildlife agencies, Canada, the Russian Federation and the European Union
established an agreement governing the development of "Humane Trapping
Standards".
