Updating the AIHTS Trapping Standards to Improve Animal Welfare and Capture Efficiency and Selectivity

摘要

The Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) has been the benchmark for humane restraining and killing traps used for the capture of a wide range of mammalian species for more than 20 years. Nonetheless, over this time, wildlife biologists, managers, and conservation groups have voiced a growing list of concerns about the ineffectiveness of AIHTS standards and test procedures in ensuring animal welfare. In this review, we first summarize and compare the AIHTS standards with two other contemporary standards, those developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the late 90s and a Canadian trap research and development program in operation from 1985–1993. We then evaluate the AIHTS standards against seven hypotheses that reflect many of the concerns raised by the scientific community. Our evaluation shows conclusively that the AIHTS standards do not reflect state-of-the-art trapping technology and that continued maintenance of these outdated standards perpetuates animal pain and suffering. Lastly, we propose a series of measures to fund trap testing and implement new standards to improve animal welfare, and trap efficiency and selectivity.