Dog's 'horrific' ordeal sparks calls for snare ban

A dog that suffered a "nasty" paw injury after becoming caught in what its owners believe was a snare has prompted calls for the traps to be banned.

Tora Marcello and Phil Clayton said their four-year-old Hungarian Vizsla, Stanley, got caught while walking in woodland near Kent's Bedgebury Forest on Sunday.

Marcello said that Stanley let out a "horrific" screech and could have been caught around his neck.

Forestry England, which runs Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest and does not use snares on its sites, checked its land but did not find a device. The BBC understands that the device may have been placed on privately owned land nearby.

Marcello said that Stanley's screech was so horrific it took time to realise it was him.

"I've never heard any animal make a noise like it," she said.

The couple, from Hawkhurst, said that they were on a public footpath when Stanley bolted across the woodland, before he started screaming.

Clayton said that their pet had been caught in "a deliberately-laid trap".

He found Stanley trying to break free from what looked like a piece of wire, which was wrapped tightly around his leg, cutting in and making him bleed.

Clayton said that he held Stanley down and prised his fingernails under the wire to free him.

The couple now want to see an England-wide ban on what they described as "incredibly cruel" traps, which they said could cause a "slow and agonising death".

"No animal should suffer like that," Clayton added.

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokesperson said: "Our ambitious Animal Welfare Strategy reaffirmed our commitment to ban the use of cruel snare traps that are so damaging to wildlife and pets.

"We are actively looking to bring a ban on snares into force as swiftly as possible."

The department said that snares were a thin wire noose set to trap foxes and less commonly rabbits. They are intended to catch target animals around the neck and restrain them until the setter returns and shoots any target animals captured by it.

Defra said that snares could trap non-target animals, such as badgers, deer, otters, cats and dogs, therefore banning the practice will improve the welfare of wild animals and pets.

It said that there were more humane methods available including strong wire netting and strong fencing.

Snares have been banned in Scotland and Wales.

The Countryside Alliance has argued that "humane cable restraints" should be available to help farmers protect livestock and wildlife.

Gabriella Atkinson, who runs holiday lets at nearby Bedgebury Park, described the incident as "dreadful" but said neither she nor her business had any connection to the area where it happened.

Forestry England said that it did not use snares on its sites or allow others to use them on its land.

It added that snares could present a risk to people, dogs and other wildlife.

The only circumstances in which a snare could be on Forestry England land would be where retained rights exist under a leasehold.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram and listen to BBC Radio Kent on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.