14 OCTOBER 1949, Page 22

The Steel Toothed Trap

Sus,—After living in the west country for over four years, one cannot help wondering how it is that farmers and trappers make no secret of the fact that their traps are set just where they please, out in the open. The trap Itself is vile enough, but, when such practice is followed, the amount of unnecessary suffering caused to other creatures is almost beyond description. I should estimate that, in the countryside around Exmoor, perhaps one cat in every five is minus a foot. One wonders why the law is allowed to be flouted thus, while in most other districts if a single trap is found set illegally there is trouble.—Yours faithfully, Rickinghall, near Diss, Norfolk. R. R. Scorr.