SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A young black Lab is lucky to be alive after getting caught in a metal snare in the Kam Lake area, says a Yellowknife vet.
Yellowknife veterinarian Dr. Michael Hughes removed this metal snare from the neck of a young black Lab on Saturday evening. It is against a city bylaw to set a snare within one kilometre of a residence or business in Yellowknife. This snare posed a significant risk to area pets and children, said Hughes. - photo courtesy of Caylee Fieber |
"If she'd pulled much harder, she would have been dead," said Dr. Michael Hughes, veterinarian at the Yellowknife Vet Clinic.
The approximately year-and-a-half old Labrador retriever was brought in Saturday evening. The dog's owners work in the Kam Lake area, and had let their dog roam nearby when it was caught by the throat in a snare.
When the dog did not respond to their calls, the owners went out searching for it. That's when they heard a whimper from nearby bushes.
The owners cut the brush the snare had been set on, but could not cut the snare, which remained tight around the dog's neck.
"She was having some difficulty breathing when they brought her in," said Hughes. "Just lifting her up enough to cut it made it tighter."
One-and-a-half sets of clippers later, the metal wire was cut and the dog was freed from the trap.
The ordeal left the dog with a swollen neck, but Hughes does not believe it suffered any permanent injuries.
Hughes said he hopes the incident raises awareness among dog owners that there could be dangers hidden in the bush. He also hopes it makes whoever set the snare aware they are posing a danger to the public.
"To me, it's about more than just pets - it could have been kids, too," Hughes said.
The snare was made of metal parts, causing the vet to believe it was the work of an adult - not area children.
"I can't see a child getting this to work," he said. "Whatever the wire is was very, very tough - it was difficult to cut."
A City of Yellowknife snare and trap bylaw prohibits people from setting traps within one kilometre of a residence or business located within city limits. Setting an illegal snare or trap could result in a summary conviction and a fine up to $2,000.
Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety with the City of Yellowknife, said the dog owner alerted the city of the incident and bylaw is investigating. People who find traps set in the city are encouraged to call bylaw.
This is not the first time a Yellowknife dog has been caught in an illegal trap.
In December 2010, a border collie named Heidi died alone on a Back Bay island after her left foot was caught in a leg-hold trap, which had been illegally set within city limits.
After going missing while out on a walk with her family on a Sunday, Heidi was found the following day by a family friend on one of the three islands near Ndilo. She appeared to have dragged the tree the trap was tied to, trying to get home.
In January 2003, a Yellowknife man set a quick-kill trap in a wooded area near Sir John Franklin High School with the intention of protecting his dog from foxes. Instead, the trap sprung and caught the head of his neighbour's pet dog, Sam, as he was being walked by his owners.
Sam's owners could not free him from the trap and he died in their arms a short time later.
The man, a trapper by trade, went to court over this incident. He pleaded guilty and said he was previously unaware setting traps within the city was against the law and admitted he had not considered his trap may harm area pets or, possibly, children from the nearby school.
