The Collarum®
- Canine Capture Device Designed to Meet International Humane
Standards
There is
a worldwide demand for more humane devices to capture animals, both fur
bearers and predators. This demand arises for both environmental and
ethical reasons. An Agreement on International Humane Trapping
Standards signed in 1995 by the European Economic Community, Canada,
and Russia may ultimately lead to the banning of all steel leghold
traps in those countries. Already some states in the U. S. (e.g.,
California, Colorado, Washington and Massachusetts) ban these traps.
WCS,
LLC holds patents on two different traps (patent #5,956,891--the
Collarum® , and patent #
5,109,627--the Crossfire™) which are designed to meet humane standards.
Foreign patents are also pending. Testing and development has been
taking place for several years in conjunction with the National
Wildlife Research Center of the USDA's Wildlife Services division.
The
Collarum® is designed to capture
canines (coyote, fox, dog, wolf, etc.) by throwing a cable loop over
their head and around the neck. The end of the capture loop is anchored
in the ground and the canine is held like a dog on a chain. It is
unique in several ways.
First,
it is canine-specific because of the trigger mechanism. The trigger
requires a pull action rather than the push/depress mechanism normally
employed by traps. The effectiveness of this action for canine
specificity has been proven through the years by the M-44 cyanide gun,
which uses a similar trigger principle. The only animals caught by the
Collarum® have been canines. The
trigger and spring-loaded action distinguish the Collarum® from snares which can
be very indiscriminate in what they capture.
Second,
the Collarum® is much more humane
than existing traps. In a study conducted by the Predator Research
division of the National Wildlife Research Center, Dept. of
Agriculture, (Texas, Feb. 1999), 70% of coyotes caught showed no
significant injuries, while the most prevalent damage was to the teeth
in approximately 1 of every 5 animals. Most dogs and fox sustain
substantially less damage because they fight less than coyotes. The
recent development of the Relaxalock™ cable assures an even more
"dog-friendly" capture.
 Third, this trap is much
safer to utilize in areas where people, pets and other domestic animals
may come in contact with it. An unknowing human springing the Collarum® is at little risk.
Animals other than canines are very unlikely to be caught by this
device even if they spring it, and captured domestic dogs can be
released with no harm done. Unlike cage traps which are large, bulky,
and difficult to conceal, the Collarum™ is light, compact, and easy to
hide. This gives it distinct advantages for Animal Control Officers
(ACOs) in high visibility areas. The Collarum® has also proven its
effectiveness in capturing animals that won't approach a cage trap or
tolerate the close approach of humans.
As
one Wildlife Control Officer in Wyoming puts it, "In the course of
catching feral dogs, fox and coyotes, I have found the Collarum® traps to be a viable
option for lethal and non-lethal control of problem canids where other
control devices could not be used." Besides catching canines in remote
settings, ACOs have caught coyotes in the backyards and gardens of
urban residents, feral dogs at landfills, and coyotes and fox in
pastures with livestock present. Gary Beeman of Lafayette, CA reports,
"I put the Collarum® out the first weekend I
got it. In three days I caught two feral dogs that local Animal Control
Officers had been after for two years. They'd run out of options. I
look forward to using it again in similar circumstances." Recently an
ACO in Louisiana reported setting his Collarum® 12 times and capturing
11 dogs.
*
Gruver,
Shivik, DeLiberto. Evaluation of New Cable Restraints for
Capturing Coyotes. National Wildlife Research Center, Fort
Collins, Colorado.
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