A dog-walker has been left “disturbed” after finding a dangerous trap in a public park.
Morag Pacione, owner of the dog walking service Patch Pets, was left shocked after finding a plastic snare trap while walking through Camperdown Park.
The devices, which work by fastening themselves around an animal and holding it in place, are mainly used to capture wild animals.
Their use on public land is illegal due to the danger they pose to pets, and they have previously been criticised due to concerns over animal cruelty.
The dog walker said: “It was just the one that I found but there could be more.
“It was quite disturbing to see, because this is a city park, not some sort of glen or anything.
“Obviously, I understand that they can be used to catch squirrels and things like that, but I don’t actually know if they are legal or not in the UK.
© Supplied by Morag Pacione
“I just feel like there’s a lot of potential for cats and dogs to get caught it them, especially because they like to sniff along the ground and that when they go out.
“I heard from a friend that they can be used by poachers to trap things like Roe deer, and if they’re getting a deer then they could easily get around the leg of a smaller dog or even a smaller child.
“Cats also get out in these woods a lot and I can’t imagine what would happen if one were to get a snare around it’s neck, that would be awful.”
The dog-walker also expressed concerns for local wildlife, saying: “This isn’t some wilderness, we don’t have a survivalist living out here, what we have is someone trying to trap and kill wildlife in a city park.
“I just think it’s quite disturbing.
“I had to keep my dogs close to me after finding it because you know what animals are like, they have to wander off and have their noses to the ground, and I didn’t want any of them to get hurt at all.
“I just feel like this presents a danger to any animal that’s sniffing around in Camperdown.”
A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “We are investigating the matter.”
