Why Trapping Is Important For The Animals

By Arvid Pellicer

My name is Arvid Pellicer.  I started trapping when I was eleven.  I am twelve now.  The reason I started trapping is it sounded interesting and different.  It was unique like many of the things I liked.  I like being one of a kind in school because it makes me feel special.  Before I really started trapping, the only thing that I had trapped was mice.  I love trapping now, it's one of the best experiences I have had.   I have not trapped a hole lot, but I have spent a lot of time learning about trapping, fixing traps, buying traps.  It's the most enjoyable thing that I have done.  I also love nature.  Trapping is a job and a sport for me.  It helps me get all the exercise that I need and is also fun at the same time. I do not watch TV. because where we live, we would need a satellite to get good reception and there is so much junk on TV. nowadays anyway.  So, I go out looking around a lot and I play with my friend (who would also like to trap but his parents won't let him because they are afraid that he will get hurt or maybe even drown). He hates it that he can't even go in to the game department land because he might get a snake bite or get lost.  I feel sorry for him.  He said it feels like he's in a cage.  I taught him how to trap gophers, moles, and even some ground squirrels.  We have trapped about forty squirrels in two summers.  It's fun and I get paid for ground squirrels from my grandma because they eat in my grandma's gardens and are very obnoxious around her property.

There are so many ground squirrels on her property that they kind of overrun the place.  I have found that trapping is the easiest way to get rid of them.  Another reason that I love trapping is because it actually helps the animals by keeping the population balanced (which is actually a service to the animals).  If the population is not balanced, the beaver will cut too many trees down and flood crops or block roads off.  Raccoons will fight over the lack of food and kill each other.  When there are too many diseases, a whole bunch of them are wiped out in a less than comfortable or quick death.  Muskrats will dig holes in drainage ditches and sewer ponds.  Muskrats also eat from vegetable gardens and flower gardens.  They also dig holes in ditches and when cows walk across, the bank falls in and the cows may even break their legs.  Therefore, people need to help balance the Muskrat population.  This is why I love trapping and why I think that all animals should have a balanced population and they should have a good unpolluted place to live.