Brosley cat returns home after being caught in illegal snare
A Broseley cat has returned home after being caught in a snare in local woodland.
Monty the cat went missing on Tuesday 29th December and returned at around 6.30 - 7pm on New Year’s Eve with the wire snare caught tight around his stomach.
Police say the snare was so tight that his owner struggled to get a wire cutter under the wire to cut him free. The snare was a self-locking type which are illegal in the UK. Despite this, they are still used and cause severe injuries to a variety of animal species.
Monty's owner said: "We live near fields and farmland on the edge of town and know that our cat goes there everyday.
"We've had another cat go missing and now suspect her demise was a snare.
"The poor cat was in such distress when he came home. It wasn't until he got on my lap that I noticed the wire. I immediately cut it off with wire cutters."
A self-locking snare is a wire loop device which continues to tighten by a ratchet action as the animal struggles. Its aim is to catch the victims around the neck, so that they die through strangulation or by dislocation of the neck.
Snares do not only capture animals by the neck, animals get their legs caught in snares, and end up with the snare cutting down to the bone. Other animals are caught around the body, as was the case with Monty. Monty was lucky and managed to free the snare from its location and make his way home.
West Mercia Police would like to hear from anyone with information regarding the incident to contact them on 101 and quote incident reference 0316S 060116. If you wish to remain anonymous, you could ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
This is Monty, recovering at home in Broseley after being caught in a snare for up to 48 hours. pic.twitter.com/041dAMBm82 https://twitter.com/WenlockCops/status/684764488294383616
