(Anchorage) — Pet owners are reminded that wintertime in Alaska means fur trapping seasons are open and pets running off-leash and not closely supervised risk having their toes pinched – or worse.

When pets do encounter traps or snares, owners must be prepared to act quickly. That’s why the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Alaska Trappers Association (ATA) are inviting pet owners to pick up a copy of the free pocket-size pamphlet, “Trap Safety for Pet Owners.”

Produced by the department and ATA, the pocket guide describes the types of traps and snares likely to be encountered and provides illustrated instructions on how to free pets swiftly to minimize injury. Copies of the “Trap Safety for Pet Owners” guide are available at some pet stores, veterinary clinics and department offices statewide, or may be viewed on the website at www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/hunting/trapping/pdfs/trap_safety_for_pet_owners.pdf.

More information, including video footage featuring trap removal instructions, is available on the department’s website at www.adfg.alaska.gov (see”Sharing the Trails” under the “Trapping” tab), and on the Alaska Trappers Association website at www.alaskatrappers.org.

Clinics periodically offered in many regions by department staff and ATA members teach pet owners how to recognize and avoid traplines, demonstrate how traps work and how to open them, and feature overviews about trapping regulations and animal restraint ordinances. Pet owners are reminded to keep animals leashed and under control and to be aware that traps may be set in areas where people recreate with their animals. Trappers are advised to avoid conflicts between traps and pets by not setting traps close to homes and popular trails and trailheads, and to follow the “Code of Ethics” in the Alaska Trappers Manual (https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=trapping.manual) which includes not trapping on private lands without permission.

A clinic presented by ATA and the department titled “Sharing Juneau’s Trails” is scheduled for Thursday, November 6, from 7 – 9 p.m., at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center near Juneau. Clinics in other regions will be listed as they are scheduled at https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=education.calendar.

Trapping is a popular traditional pastime and livelihood in Alaska. More than 36,000 state trapping licenses were sold in in 2013.

  education, guidelines, trapping pets