Kitten left severely injured by illegal trap in Salisbury
The RSPCA have launched a public appeal
A kitten has been left severely injured after getting caught by an illegal trap in Salisbury, after going missing for two days.
Nine month old Casper was found with a gin trap attached to his front paw near the A36 Southampton Road in the Clarendon area on 8th March at around 8pm.
The device has been banned for more than 60 years, but Casper thankfully survived.
They are mechanical traps designed to catch an animal by their leg, using spring-operated jaws with teeth or a serrated edge.
The sale or possession of such traps is not illegal, but the RSPCA wants to make people aware that they can face prosecution by setting a gin trap.
Anyone found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal faces an unlimited fine and five years imprisonment.
The animal welfare charity now want to highlight the dangers gin traps can cause, to stop incidents like this happening.
Meanwhile, anyone who may have information on the trap Casper was caught in is being asked to get in touch with them.
RSPCA Inspector Charlotte Coggins, who is investigating for the animal welfare charity, said:
“These traps are illegal for a reason - they are brutal and cause a lot of suffering. It’s unacceptable that this kind of trap is still being used more than six decades after they were banned.
“Gin traps have to be purposefully set in order to catch an animal so this can’t have been an accident. Once they’re set, there is nothing stopping them from catching any type of animal that steps in its path, whether that is a wildlife or a domestic pet.
“Casper is lucky to be alive, sadly so many animals who find themselves caught in these traps are not so lucky. It also terrifies me to think a child could have stumbled upon this trap and been left severely injured by the sharp metal teeth.
“We are encouraging people to be vigilant and are appealing to anyone with information about where the trap was set to please get in touch by calling us on 0300 123 8018.”
Casper's owner Charlotte Phillips said she was relieved to have him back:
"Thankfully we managed to find him, but it was awful to see him caught in the trap and the injuries he’d suffered.
“I’d plead with anyone who has a cat that goes missing to please keep looking for them. It’s not enough to put up posters in the area or to post on social media. You know your own cat and you know their routines, so you know when something isn’t right when they’ve not returned home.
“We searched everywhere for Casper and only found him after my fiancé and son heard his cries while out looking for him.
“They were able to carry him home and the trap was carefully removed before he was given treatment from vets.”