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Review: Welfare Outcomes of Leg-hold Trap Use in Victoria

This report was commissioned by the Department of Primary Industries to identify the animal welfare impacts produced by leg-hold traps, with reference to Victorian species, and outline directions to promote improvements in welfare outcomes. The review was undertaken by Nocturnal Wildlife Research Pty Ltd.

The objectives of the review were to:

  • Identify target and non-target species within Victoria that are susceptible to leg-hold trapping and describe the relative incidence of capture from public records;
  • Describe the welfare impacts that can be anticipated from the use of leg-hold traps; and
  • Review of the merits of trap types, actions and strategies that have the best potential to mitigate a range of welfare impacts.
The chapters of the review are:
Chapter 1 - Aims, Objectives and Methods
Chapter 2 - Background
Chapter 3 - Defining Welfare Outcomes
Chapter 4 - Identification of Target and Non-target Species
Chapter 5 - Identifying Indicators of Trapping Stress
Chapter 6 - Stressors and Pathology Associated with Leg-hold Trapping
Chapter 7 - Comparison of Devices
Chapter 8 - Methods to Improve Welfare Outcomes
Chapter 9 - General Conclusions and Recommendations

The review can be downloaded in two parts:
Welfare outcomes of leg-hold trap use in Victoria (Chapters 1-6) (PDF 1.9MB)
Welfare outcomes of leg-hold trap use in Victoria (Chapters 7-9) (PDF 1.2MB)

The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Primary Industries.

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