Scottish Animal Welfare Commission - trapping of terrestrial wild mammals using snares: position paper

Methods of killing

Methods of killing may also result in welfare harm – for example, blunt-force trauma may be attempted by those who are neither confident nor competent in such methods and which becomes more challenging as the size of the animal increases.

Alternatives to using snares for fox control include good management techniques to prevent/exclude access to livestock, including removing fallen stock promptly to avoid attracting foxes, baited live cage traps (followed by shooting), or accurate free shooting (known as lamping if carried out at night) by competent operators. For rabbits, government-suggested alternatives to snaring include non-lethal methods, such as fencing. Alternative lethal methods include gassing, trapping, ferreting and shooting, although all of these can negatively impact welfare.