Bolton Abbey Estate were taken to task recently when a walker found a dead cat in a stink pit which had been caught in a snare set in the snare traps in the Nelly Park area of the moorland estate.  The snares appeared to have been set to target foxes, but the black cat had also been killed.

However, the estate management defended the use of the traps, claiming that the cat was feral 'with no sign of identification' and could thus be legally controlled as vermin, as the area had a problem with large numbers of cats living wild, however they refused to admit that the cat had not even been scanned so could easily have been a family pet. Snares are set on grouse moors to catch foxes that prey on the game birds being reared for shooting. The poor cat and a fox were found set around a ‘stink pit' - a pile of rotting animal carcasses used as bait to lure foxes.

The estate has said, in its media statement, that the cats are feral and claimed a cull is necessary. If the cats are feral, it’s clear that a humane approach such as catching in humane, non lethal traps is needed, neutering and relocating the animals is also needed. We want the estate to engage with rescue groups and allow any feral cats to be humanely trapped by rescuers and relocated to other areas where they are wanted.