Badger dies after hours caught in cruel snare

A BADGER has died after becoming entangled in a snare on the outskirts of Barnsley town centre. Members of the South Yorkshire Badger Group say the creature had struggled so much the wire snare had cut deep into its neck before snapping.

They believe the animal was caught in the trap somewhere between Locke Park and Worsbrough. It was spotted as it was trying to make its way back to its home – an artificial sett on private land near Barnsley.

Monica Ward, from the badger group, says the animal would have suffered incredible pain.

“It had twisted and twisted to get free and was unconscious by the time it was taken to the vet,” she said. “It could not eat and drink and had to be put on a drip.”

Monica said she believed the badger had had the snare around its neck for hours before it was been found.

The pet ambulance took the badger to a vet where it was sedated and the remains of the snare removed, but it died the next day.

Monica, of Penistone, said: “I feel upset, frustrated and angry. I cannot believe people still set snares like this and that such cruelty can still go on.”

It is illegal to snare badges, but foxes and rabbits can legally be caught using the wire nooses.