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5 <br /> Economics and Leghold Traps <br /> Fur industry officials assert that trapping is an important <br /> source of income for many people. But trappers are not dependent <br /> on income derived from the steel-jaw trap. The Michigan <br /> Department of Natural Resources reports that during the 1983-84 <br /> "game" season, the state 's licensed trappers on average each <br /> spent 31 days trapping and earned only $5. 48 per day. Data <br /> collected by other state fish and game departments suggest that <br /> the average gross annual income of trappers is only $100 to <br /> $1,000 per year--money that could be earned from other forms of <br /> labor, probably with fewer hours of work and a smaller investment <br /> of capital. In fact, according to the most recent U.S. census, <br /> only 2,184 individuals nationwide consider themselves profes- <br /> sional trappers and hunters. Finally, and most importantly, as a <br /> nation, we must not shrink from ending the suffering and injury <br /> caused by the steel-jaw leghold trap just because a few people <br /> derive a little money from using this cruel device. <br /> Leghold Traps and Other Nations <br /> Most animals are trapped with the steel-jaw leghold trap. <br /> According to The Humane Society of the United States, 65 nations <br /> have banned the steel-jaw trap because it is a cruel device and <br /> causes torture. The United States should ban the device as well. <br /> Nontarget Animals; Leghold Trap <br /> The steel-jaw trap slams shut on any unsuspecting animal <br /> that steps on the triggering mechanism. In the fall of 1984, a <br /> boy in Minnesota lost four toes after stepping on a trap. Golden <br /> eagles, squirrels, hawks, and owls are among the unintended <br /> victims frequently caught in steel-jaw traps, as are dogs and <br /> cats. Pets and wild animals alike suffer excruciating pain, <br /> often chewing or wringing off their legs. Many pets rescued from <br /> traps must have a leg amputated. The Humane Society of the <br /> United States estimates that at least five million nontarget <br /> animals--including pets and wildlife--are tra p <br /> each year. The nonselective steel-jaw legholdtrr n <br /> apshouldubed <br /> banned. <br /> Trap Nonselectivity; Leghold Trap <br /> The steel-jaw trap will indiscriminately close on any animal <br /> that steps on the triggering mechanism, including nontarget <br /> animals such as golden eagles, dogs, cats, and deer. For the <br /> victims of steel-jaw traps, it does not matter why the traps were <br />