Parks Authority demands end to illegal snake traps

Snakes are defined in Israel as a protected animal by law; the traps have been illegal in Israel since 1955.

By SHARON UDASIN
Snake trap 370 (photo credit: BRC Pest Control Compnay Ltd.)
Snake trap 370
(photo credit: BRC Pest Control Compnay Ltd.)
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) is working against the sale of illegal snake glue traps.
Thousands of them have already been sold across the country and pose a serious danger to the animals.
Snakes are defined in Israel as a protected animal by law, and therefore the INPA has demanded that the importer of the traps immediately remove the products from the market and collect them from store shelves around the country.
Such traps have been illegal in Israel since 1955 because they can cause serious harm to the animals, according to the authority. In addition to recalling their products, authority staff members have been speaking with snake trappers and discouraging them from using the already purchased instruments.
Eldad Peled, INPA director of inspection and enforcement, stressed that all harm to protected wildlife such as snakes is prohibited by law.
“Catching snakes requires great skill, both in the method of the capture – so that no damage occurs to the snake – and in the treatment of the animal after the capture,” Peled said.
“An authorized snake trapper knows that he must transfer the snake to the authority and that our inspectors release the snake into nature. The glue traps sold recently in Israel harm the snake during the time of the capture, and therefore we are acting aggressively against their sale,” he said.
In response, the importer has agreed to stop sales and said that it would work vigorously to collect all traps still on the shelves, according to the INPA.