Prohibits The Use of Leg-Gripping Traps

The Trap Nobody Talks About

Somewhere in a New York forest right now, an animal is waiting. Their leg is clamped in a steel jaw. They cannot move, cannot eat, cannot reach water. They may wait like this — in pain, in fear, alone — for up to 48 hours.

This is the reality of leg-gripping traps, also called foothold traps. They are legal in New York State. This bill would change that.

What Are Leg-Gripping Traps?

Leg-gripping traps are steel devices triggered by a spring mechanism. When an animal steps on the trap, the jaws snap shut around their limb, holding them in place until the trapper returns. There is no quick end — the animal is simply immobilized and left.

Animals caught in these traps:

• Cannot move to find food or water

• Cannot care for their young, who may be waiting for them nearby

• Cannot defend themselves from predators

• In documented cases, chew off their own trapped limb trying to escape

The American Veterinary Medical Association formally opposes the use of these traps. These are not fringe concerns — they are the documented, predictable outcomes every time one of these devices is set.

A Name You Should Know: Rackus

Rackus was a wild raccoon who visited a woman named Marilyn for occasional pieces of fruit — cantaloupe, honeydew. One day, he arrived without his right hand. Months later, he returned without his left. That final visit was the last time Marilyn saw him.

Raccoon hands are extraordinarily sensitive organs — closer to our eyes in terms of how raccoons experience and navigate their world. Rackus lost both of his. We don't know exactly what happened, but we know the traps were there.

What This Bill Does

This bill would amend New York's Environmental Conservation Law to:

• Prohibit setting or using any leg-gripping trap on wildlife

• Prohibit snares and noose-type devices that capture animals by the neck or body

• Close existing loopholes in current law that allow certain trap sizes or configurations

Critically, the bill does not ban trapping itself. Humane alternatives — box traps and cage traps — remain fully legal. These devices capture animals alive and unharmed, allowing for relocation or humane handling. There is no functional reason to keep using leg-gripping traps when these alternatives exist.

A Long Road

This bill is not new. It has been introduced in the New York Senate every session since 2020, under bill numbers S.7550, S.4459, S.1619, and now S1182. Each year it is referred to committee. Each year it stalls.

Meanwhile, the traps stay legal.

Why This Matters

Wildlife trapping in New York is licensed by the state — which means the state is directly enabling this practice. The fur products produced often have little economic significance compared to the suffering they require. And because these traps do not discriminate, non-target animals are frequently caught too, including domestic dogs and cats.

Supporting this bill is a straightforward ask: end a cruel and outdated practice that has humane alternatives readily available. Animals cannot advocate for themselves in the legislature. We can.