Coyote Trapping Laws In Mass

Topic: Should the hunting and trapping regulations in Massachusetts be liberalized in order to help combat the overpopulation of coyotes and foxes.

My topic involves the issue of the overpopulation of coyotes and foxes within the state of Massachusetts and how to find a solution to the problem. Since the 1996 ballot referendum which outlawed humane trapping methods was passed, the population of these animals has skyrocketed. This increase in population seems like a positive thing at first being that our native wild animals are flourishing; however, this overpopulation has led to a large decline in the wild pheasant population and also more and more of these animals have been showing up within neighborhoods and becoming a concern to the general public. In addition to reconsidering the trapping laws another solution includes changing/lengthening the hunting seasons for these animals so the numbers can be brought down to a more manageable number in that manner. The opposition to this issue is mainly an opposition to hunting and trapping. Prior to 1996 it was legal to use human trapping methods in order to trap these animals, and a group of people who disagreed with it developed a good opposition. They deduced that these traps were both inhumane and a great danger to both us as a society and also our pets.

My first source is a bulletin written by a wildlife society. It explores the issue with leg hold traps and also includes a random survey which shows the attitudes towards leg hold traps. The survey is given to a 1000 members of different conservation groups at random and includes a variety of conservation related issues including whether to outlaw the use of leg hold traps. There was an 81% response rate and the data showed that 46% favored outlawing the traps, 39% opposed the outlaw of these traps, and 15% had no opinion. The reasons for favoring the outlaw of these traps is that it is believed that they cause