Since trappers all know that it an absolute
impossibility to eliminate non-target catches from their bloody trade,
they have reclassified animals so that non-target catches are seemingly
reduced. A non-target animal is any animal caught in a trap other than
the one the trapper deliberately set the trap for. If a trapper sets a
trap for a raccoon and an opossum is caught in it, that opossum is a
non-target animal.
Trappers are now considering any animal that has a
marketable pelt to be a target animal, regardless of the animal that the
trapper intended to catch. Only animals without valuable pelts are now
considered non-target. Set a trap for a mink and catch a muskrat? That's
ok, the muskrat is a target animal. Looking for a coyote and find a
bobcat in the trap instead? Bingo! You have caught a target animal -
maybe not the "primary" target animal, but a target animal nonetheless.
Only domestic animals and non-"fur bearing" wildlife are now non-target
animals. Look for trappers to boast about their reduction of non-target
catches in the very near future.
From: International Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies
Fur Resources Committee BMP Bulletin Fall/Winter 1999
Source:
veegman@erols.com
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