People are putting marshmallows into steel traps to trap raccoons, opossums or other wild life animals.

Foothold or leg hold traps function in this way: An animal puts his paw inside the enclosed trap, which should not exceed 2 inches in diameter, according to state guidelines. By trying to pull on the bait inside, a spring is triggered, closing the trap on the animal's leg.

Animals will sometimes wait days before they are found and killed. There's no way you can modify a leghold trap in a way that won't cause extreme trauma to the animal. You have a device that is slamming onto the animal's limb, and it's going to hold them in a vice-like grip, severely restricting or cutting off circulation. They fight to get out. Raccoons sometimes try to chew off their own limbs to get out. That just tells you how bad it is.Trappers call the new models of the traps "foothold" traps instead of "leghold" traps, the traditional name, to make them sound better.

The only animal that has the dexterity and long enough leg is raccoons and in some cases, skunks and opossums. Beavers, bobcats, and dogs cannot trigger this trap.The closed traps might reduce the number of dogs who can get hurt, but "certainly, cats are more dexterous and behave in a way like raccoons do.

All animals do have feelings and feel pain as we do. It would like us grabing our plate of food and a trap goes off the moment we took it . There are other ways to solve the problems you may have with wild life call a rehabber , DNR or relocate the animals in a safer better way. There are even sprays you could use that keeps them away from the smell!

      So if you wouldn't do it to a pet why do we treat wildlife this way?