Cat caught in illegal snare near Selkirk lucky to be alive, say police

A cat caught in an illegal snare near Selkirk is lucky to be alive, according to police.
A snare a cat got caught in near Selkirk.A snare a cat got caught in near Selkirk.
A snare a cat got caught in near Selkirk.

The pet returned home on the morning of Wednesday, July 29, with the snare wrapped tightly around its midriff, but it might well have failed to make it back, believes constable Steven Irvine, Police Scotland’s wildlife officer for the Borders.

“A number of years ago, people would have used such snares to catch rabbits. However, these types of snare have been illegal for a number of years,” he said.

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“Thankfully for the owners, the cat was lucky enough to break free, allowing it to return home.

“However, this could easily have resulted in the cat sustaining severe injury or even losing its life.”

PC Irvine is now appealing for help to identify the culprit responsible for setting the snare in question, saying: “If anyone has information on illegal snaring, I would encourage them to report the matter to police.

“If members of the public would like to pass confidential information to police regarding a wildlife crime, please contact us on 101 or, alternatively, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”