$1,000 reward offered to identify person who trapped Langley raccoon

Wildlife-protection charity The Fur-Bearers is offering $1,000 for information leading to the identification and conviction of whoever set a leg-hold trap in Langley that caught and seriously injured a young raccoon.

Brookswood resident Louise Pilon found the raccoon dragging the trap on Wednesday, Sept. 23. She said it was sitting on the fence in her backyard, unable to move and whimpering. Her husband noticed it was caught and had something on its leg, and they called Critter Care Wildlife Society, which rehabilitates wild animals at its South Langley facility.

The raccoon was seriously injured and had to be euthanized, said Critter Care senior wildlife supervisor Jenna Kuncewicz. It had a major infection and necrotic tissue, and appeared to have tried to chew off its leg. Kuncewicz estimated it had been caught for five to seven days before it was found.

The trap was attached to a short chain and may have been anchored, but the raccoon apparently pulled it free while panicking. In B.C., using traps in urban areas, within 200 metres of a home or on private property is strictly regulated, including for people with trapping licences.

The Fur-Bearers says leg-hold traps continue to turn up in urban and suburban areas. Security-camera footage from Langley last September showed another young raccoon dragging a trap. In the same year, the group saw footage of a cat with its leg caught in a trap near Hi-Knoll Park, close to the Langley-Surrey border.

Animal-rights groups, Lower Mainland municipal governments and The Fur-Bearers have called for tighter trapping regulations. Kuncewicz said she does not know why people set the traps, noting there are thousands of raccoons.

The BC SPCA recommends securing garbage and compost and regularly cleaning birdfeeders to avoid attracting raccoons to homes. Humane live-trapping options are also available. The Fur-Bearers executive director Lesley Fox said the trap may have been set contrary to regulations and urged anyone with information to contact the B.C. Conservation Service’s RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277 or online at https://forms.gov.bc.ca/environment/rapp/.

Pilon said she had not previously worried about traps in her suburban neighbourhood. After the incident, she is concerned that a cat, dog or child could be hurt next time.