Help - Snares

[Cerise]

Help I have a difficult situation.  This afternoon let the dogs out into the garden and heard them making terrific noise at the top of it.  As you may know we have just got Trevor the dali from rescue so rushed up to see what is happening.  Both dogs going balistic and over the fence a little bunny caught in a wire snare.  Managed to release same, calm dogs - Trevor had cut his nose - and discovered that delightful neighbour had placed very nasty wire snares all along the side of our fence.

The snares are home made, horrible but on his side of the fence and not attached to my fence but  to a piece of barbed wire.  Now we have lived here nearly 5 years - get on OK with most of the neighbours but this guy's land only adjoins the top left side of our garden.  They are generally not very nice people, they have a load of grotty sheds etc in that bit of the garden and they have had run ins with various other neighbours.  Our garden is fenced with chainlink 1m 30 high and the dogs have never tried to get over/under it - however a bunny larder just on the other side is a bit too much.  The top of our garden - which you can't see too well from the house is where I normally shut the dogs to play, but now I feel I can't leave them there as the temptation (especially for Trev who is new) to try to break out is just too great.

I realise it is my job to keep my dogs under control and I think that we are probably going to have to put up panel fencing at huge expense.  I hesitate to go and speak to this man as he is the type who couldn't care less about anyone else and if I upset him is likely to do something like open our top gate so the dogs get out, chuck poisoned meat over the fence or some other horribleness.  Next door neighbour says snaring is illegal but he wouldn't mess with this guy.  Husband currently looking at expensive fencing options, dogs shut in and I'm really p****d off.  I'm also anxious about our other neighbours' cats.

Anybody any idea on the legal position of snares or any good suggestions how I can tackle the neighbour without causing World War III to break out?

[chris pp]

Apart from in certain very specified regions where Tendelle traps, Glue traps and mist netting are permitted (due to being so called "traditional"), all other indiscriminate types of traps and snares are illegal in France.

Cage traps do not fall into this category but must be visited a minimum of twice a day at a regular interval.

For me there would be no question about what course of action to follow, and indeed I have had to on one occasion having warned the person to cease, but it is fair to say that you have to consider your bravery level.

Good luck, Chris

 

[Christine Animal]

This is what I found :

Pièges de troisième catégorie :

Législation : Les collets munis d'un arrêtoir.
Piège capturant l'animal par le cou
Piège soumis à l'homologation.
Agrément obligatoire. Autorisation préfectorale spécifique obligatoire (à redemander si on change de département).
Déclaration en mairie obligatoire avant utilisation.
Visite obligatoire dans les deux heures suivant le lever du soleil.

Utilisé en coulée. Prédateur visé : uniquement le renard. L'arrêtoir doit être fixe.
Le collet après mise en place doit présenter une ouverture maximale de 20 cm de diamètre.
La partie basse de l’engin doit être disposée à 18 cm au moins et 22 cm au plus au-dessus du niveau du sol, sauf en gueule de terrier à renard.
Emerillon obligatoire.

http://www.jeuneschasseurs.com/rubrique/info_connaissance/information/piegeage/Le%20Piegeage.htm

 

[Frederick]

CCTV cameras are cheap.....cheaper on E.bay....even if not connected up...stick one on a tree where it can be seen .....then let everybody know you are concerned about your dogs and want to see what they are up to while you are in the house and have put the camera up...... It will soon get back to the snare setter.....he wont want to come near the bottom of your garden I should think .....You might even find a dummy one for a few euros ..........Good luck .....cant stand snares !

[Frederick]

Just looked on Ebay......hundreds of them ...all weather one for £4.99  from Hong Kong......you could watch your dogs from the kitchen if you have a spare portable TV . got to be cheaper than new  fencing

[Bugsy]

Cerise,

You have, potentially, a difficult situation there, but one I think you must deal with. If you don't, it could end up playing on your mind and wrecking your happiness. Chrispp is quite right about barbaric snares and  as he says, he like me would definately take action.

When we first moved here I found both snares and traps in my wood and systematically destroyed everyone I found. It was a local man,who, when I confronted him tried to tell me that it was OK and that he had the permission from the previous owner. I made the point of checking and found this to be complete b******s. He got the point, after a bit of an altercation and I've had no further problems from him.

Photographs are essential, then perhaps a quiet chat for advice with the Mayor or maybe members of the local Chasse. Do your homework before confronting your neighbour. The more I think about this the more I realise that it's impossible really to advise without a detailed knowledge of the situation so please just think about all the advice given.

Have you tried talking to him, perhaps over an aperitif ?

Good luck with it.

[Cerise]

Thanks everyone - I was pretty sure they are illegal.  They are however on HIS land not mine, my worry is simply that if the dogs should get over/under the existing fencing they will be damaged.  I also hate trapping anyway and little corpses along my boundary I don't need.

The guy is, unfortunately, not someone you talk to over aperos.  He has an unauthorised sawmill in place and uses it at antisocial hours, his land is an eyesore and generally he doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks.  The other neighbours - all French and all here a long time - are wary of him.  Round here people think I am potty because I walk my dogs on leads not let them out to fend for themselves - they are all friendly but don't understand that I don't keep the dogs for guarding/hunting and keep them in a kennel.  I do not wish my dogs (or even me!!) to have an 'accident de chasse' or to find that my back gate has 'unexpectedly' come off its hinges.   Our B & B  car park is also at that end of our land and I worry that cars could be 'acidentally'damaged, lots of noise early on summer Sundays that kind of thing.

We have lived here peacefully all this time - this man's land cannot be seen from the house and doesn't overlook it.  If I see them they nod if I say good morning but never really engage in conversation - however as stated previously I do know other neighbours have had problems.  I think tomorrow I will chat to the head of our local Chasse, who is our insurance agent and a nice chap, and see if he can come up with something.  I'm also going to try approaching the man and asking in a friendly manner whether he could consider moving them to another part of his land.  sadly, I don't think my concern for my dogs will move him.

Thanks again for the advice and support.