A defenceless cat has been euthanised after suffering severe injuries from an illegal trap – one of three caught over the same weekend.
The RSPCA in South Australia has issued a stern warning over the use of steel-jaw traps following the death of a cat over the Easter long weekend.
The black and white moggy was tragically found in Nairne after being snared in one of the sprung devices.
Its injuries were so severe it had to be humanely euthanised at a vet at the Small Animal Specialist Hospital.
Meanwhile, over the same weekend, another cat was found in a trap in Birdwood and a kitten discovered in Port Augusta.
Fortunately, neither of the pair needed to be put down, but both were victim of serious leg injuries.
Andrea Lewis, head of animal welfare at RSPCA SA said: “The setting of steel-jaw traps is illegal and for good reason – they are barbaric devices which cause horrific injuries and immense suffering to animal victims.
“It is not just cats that get trapped – foxes and possums are common victims and recently we received reports of a young magpie that got its leg caught in a steel-jaw trap.
“A few years ago, we also received a report of an echidna that got stuck in a trap in the Fleurieu Peninsula.”
She added that animals not found in time suffer “slow, agonising deaths”.
Ms Lewis warned that anybody found to be setting the traps will face prosecution, harking back to March 2025 when a cat named Lunar suffered two hours of agony after being trapped.
A man from Rosewater was then convicted over setting the trap and ordered to pay $4,177 to cover Lunar’s veterinary costs.
Setting a steel-jaw trap faces an immediate $2,500 penalty and can also lead to prosecution under SA’s Animal Welfare Act, which carries maximum penalties of $20,000 or two years imprisonment.
