Dog owners across the Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge area have this week been warned to be on the look out for badger snares left along footpaths after a dog was left ‘traumatised’ after getting stuck in one.
Charlotte Wroe, who works at Burnham’s Secret World shop, was walking her husky-cross called Max along a footpath in Withy Road, Highbridge at the weekend when it got stuck.
Charlotte told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “My dog was unfortunately caught in an illegal snare and we want to make people aware of the danger.”
“The barbed snare was set on a badger run that went across a public footpath. It was staked along a fallen tree, with the loop of the snare at animal level.”
“My beloved dog caught his head on the loop of the snare on an afternoon walk, which was a very traumatising experience for me and my dog Max.”
“It was lucky that I was walking with a friend who was able to help me free him. Max is an ex-stray husky-cross rescued from Dorset and has always struggled with being ‘man handled’ so it was quite a challenge to get him free of the barbed wire snare without tearing his skin.”
“I don’t know the legalities of setting snares but I believe they can only be set for foxes and rabbits – which I do not agree with – on private land. This was clearly set for badgers on a badger path.”
“It was attached to the ground with a piece of wood that probably wouldn’t have stopped the badger from running off with the barbed wire still attached to it.”
“It would have been a very slow and painful death for the badger, unless it was just meant to hold the badger until the person that set it could shoot it? Or perhaps it would have been found by a dog walker in the morning.”
“It’s horrible to think about these snares being set on private land, but on a footpath it is highly dangerous to people and animals.”
“All dogs seek out fox and badger faeces and follow their smells, and to think they could be caught in a snare is horrible. I’d like all dog walkers to be aware they could be out there. I’d hate someone else to have to go through this.”
She added: “The snare was found along Withy Road, Highbridge. There’s a dog poo bin at the bottom of the path, and anyone that walks there regularly should be aware of the snares that could be out in the evening.”
“The police are investigating the crime, I will support them with their investigation and hopefully with a prosecution.”
Anyone with information about the snare should contact Burnham-On-Sea Police on 101.
