AU2021277662A1 - Method and apparatus for trapping animals - Google Patents

Abstract

An enclosure for trapping animals, comprising; an entrance means for directing one or more animals into the enclosure that when closed prevents said one or more animals escaping from said enclosure once they have passed the entrance means while allowing one or more further animals to enter the enclosure when the entrance means is closed; an opening means for urging the entrance means to an open position that is connected to the enclosure by an attachment means; wherein entrance means moves from an open position to a closed position when one or more animals disturbs the attachment means causing the opening means to disengage with the entrance means causing the entrance means to move to a closed position. FI77 FIG 1

Description

FI77

FIG 1

Method and apparatus for trapping animals

Field of the invention

The present invention relates generally to traps for live humane capture of wild animals. More particularly, the present invention relates to trap systems including an enclosure and entrancewas for live humane capture and restraint of relativity large animals such as feral pigs, wild goats, wild deer, feral cats, wallabies, rabbits, horses, or the like.

Background of the invention

Generally, animal traps are used to capture animals that are either wild and/or are a nuisance.

There are a large number of wild and/or nuisance animals in New Zealand and Australia including feral pigs, wild goats, wild deer, feral cats, wallabies, rabbits, horses, and the like.

All these wild and/or nuisance animals can cause damage to flora and fauna. Feral cats for example have a major impact on New Zealand's native and non-native species. The basis of their diet alters with the habitat they live in. They feed on rabbits, birds and bird eggs, rats, hares, bats, lizards, mice, and insects. Wild goats eat the foliage of most trees and plants and can quickly destroy all vegetation within their reach, eating seedlings, saplings and litter fall off the forest floor. Wild goats will also strip bark off trees and by eating young seedlings they can put a stop to forest regeneration. Feral pigs impact native ecosystems, and pastoral production. They carry diseases and parasites and contribute to the bovine tuberculosis (Tb) problem. Feral pigs can damage pasture and crops and kill new born lambs and cast sheep. They destroy farmland by by rooting and wallowing. Feral pigs also eat a wide variety of food including grasses, roots, seeds and other plant material as well as carrion, invertebrates and ground-nesting birds. They damage forests and farms by uprooting trees and saplings and eating native plants and invertebrates. They can also eat pasture and crops.

There are a number of types of traps for catching animals in the wild including facing jaw traps and snares. Facing jaw traps are generally provided with sharp teeth for penetrating deep into and securing firmly one of the legs of the animal caught by the trap. The pressure applied by facing jaw traps can be extremely strong and can severely injure the animal and cause significant pain before arrival of the hunter to cull the animal. Injuries can be so severe that animals often die before the hunter returns to the trap. Snares can cause the same results.

There are also a number of types of "humane" traps including repeating and non-repeating traps. While repeating traps can capture more than one animal at a time, animal escape is a common problem. Many non-repeating traps are difficult to set and unreliable in operation. Non-repeating traps only capture one animal at a time and require resetting once the trap has been sprung.

Therefore, there is a clearly a need for an animal trap that humanely captures one or more animals without resetting while effectively preventing the animals from escaping once trapped and has a capacity to hold many animals at a time.

Summary of the invention

In one aspect the invention provides an enclosure for trapping animals comprising an entrance means for directing one or more animals into the enclosure that when closed prevents said one or more animals escaping from said enclosure; an opening means for urging the entrance means to an open position; a triggering means connected to the opening means and to the enclosure; wherein entrance means moves from an open position to a closed position when one or more animals disturbs the triggering means causing the opening means to disengage with the entrance means causing the entrance means to move to a closed position.

In one embodiment, the entrance means allows one or more further animals to enter the enclosure when the entrance means is closed.

In one embodiment, the entrance means comprises a passageway that extends from an opening in a sidewall of the enclosure towards the centre portion of the enclosure.

In one embodiment, the opening means for urging the entrance to an open position comprises a rod member fixedly attached to a side of the entrance means.

In one embodiment, the enclosure further comprises a mesh body forming a lattice structure to prevent animals from escaping therefrom.

In one embodiment, the mesh body is made from wire.

In one embodiment, the enclosure further comprises bait fixing means.

In one embodiment, the triggering means is a rope tensioned between the opening means and the enclosure.

In one embodiment, the triggering means is attached to one end of the opening means.

In one embodiment, the enclosure has a roof to prevent animals escaping the enclosure.

In another aspect the invention provides an animal trap apparatus comprising an enclosure having a passageway configured to receive at least one animal to be trapped in the enclosure, the passageway being configured to direct the at least one animal toward the center of the enclosure; the passageway being held in an open position to allow the animal to enter the enclosure, the passageway preventing the animal from escaping from the enclosure once the animal has entered the enclosure and the passageway has moved to the closed position; an opening means which urges the passageway in an open position; and triggering means that when disturbed by an animal inside the enclosure causes the opening means to disengage from the opening means causing the entrance means to close.

In one embodiment, the entrance means allows one or more further animals to enter the enclosure when the entrance means is closed.

In one embodiment, the entrance means comprises a passageway that extends from an opening in a sidewall of the enclosure towards the centre portion of the enclosure.

In one embodiment, the opening means for urging the entrance to an open position comprises a rod member fixedly attached to a side of the entrance means.

In one embodiment, the enclosure further comprises a mesh body forming a lattice structure to prevent animals from escaping therefrom.

In one embodiment, the mesh body is made from wire.

In one embodiment, the enclosure further comprises bait fixing means.

In one embodiment, the triggering means is a rope tensioned between the opening means and the enclosure.

In one embodiment, the triggering means is attached to one end of the opening means.

In one embodiment, the enclosure has a roof to prevent animals escaping the enclosure.

The invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, in any and all combinations of two or more of said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which the invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

Brief description of the drawings

A further understanding of the present invention can be obtained by reference to embodiments set forth in the illustrations of the accompanying drawings. Although the illustrated embodiments are merely exemplary of systems for carrying out the present invention, both the organisation and method of operation of the invention, in general, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be more easily understood by reference to the drawings and the following description. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of this invention, which is set forth with particularity in the claims as appended or as subsequently amended, but merely to clarify and exemplify the invention.

FIG. 1 is a view of the entrance means being held in the open position by the opening means and shows the triggering means attached to one point of the enclosure.

FIG. 2 is view of the triggering means attached to a second point of the enclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the entrance means being held in the open position by the opening means and shows the triggering means attached to one end of the opening means.

FIG. 4 is a view of the entrance means in the closed position where the opening means is dislodged from the entrance means by the triggering means.

FIG. 5 is an additional view of the triggering means attached to the enclosure.

FIG. 6 is an additional view of the opening means holding the entrance means in the open position having the triggering means attached to one end thereof.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the entrance means in the closed position where the opening means has been dislodged from entrance means.

FIG. 8 is a view of the opening means being attached to one side of the entrance means.

Detailed description

The enclosure for trapping animals may be formed of a variety of rigid materials. The enclosure may be formed with sidewalls that are solid, lattice, etc. and combinations thereof that are configured to trap animals therein while preventing their escape. The enclosure may be formed in a round shape, however other shapes such as general rectangular, square, triangular, oval etc., are contemplated.

In one embodiment, the enclosure includes one or more entrance openings. The entrance openings are sized to allow one or more of a subject animal such as for example, feral pigs, wild goats, wild deer, feral cats, wallabies, rabbits, horses, and the like, to enter the enclosure.

The entrance opening includes passage walls. The passage walls extend from the enclosure sidewalls towards the centre of the enclosure. Passage walls are in pairs and are biased to ordinarily be in a closed position. In one embodiment, the entrance opening is configured to direct the animals entering the enclosure toward the centre of the enclosure.

Bait may be placed inside the enclosure proximate the centre of the enclosure, or scattered around the interior of enclosure, or alternatively attached to bait fixing means. Bait encourages the subject animals to enter the animal trap apparatus through the entrance openings. Once an animal has entered the enclosure, its natural instinct is to go toward the periphery of the enclosure to escape. Therefore, a majority of the animals captured move away from the centre of the enclosure and are generally compelled by natural instinct to remain at the periphery of the enclosure. This instinct is particularly effective when the periphery of the enclosure is far enough removed from the centre to permit movement without returning to the centre. For example when the periphery of the enclosure is about one or more body lengths of the subject animal away from the entrance way, such as in an enclosure sized to hold ten to twenty or more of the subject animals, the captured animals at the periphery may move around and continue searching for escape paths without approaching the centre region of the enclosure. Such captured animals have no occasion to consider the centre of enclosure as an escape path. This is advantageous as by moving inside the enclosure the animals are likely to engage the triggering means which will cause the opening means to be dislodged and the entrance means to close.

The passage walls of the entrance opening are biased to be ordinarily in a closed position. The passage walls of the entrance opening are held in an open position by an opening means to allow one or more animals to enter the enclosure. The opening means can be of any suitable material and can optionally be fixed to one side of the pair of passage walls.

The opening means is preferably a rod shaped device at one end is fixed to one side of the passage walls and at the other end is attached to the triggering means.

The triggering means extends from the opening means and is attached to at least one and preferably two points of the enclosure. The triggering means is tensioned and when disturbed by one or more animal that has entered the enclosure, disengages with the entrance means allowing the entrance means to move back to its normal closed position.

When closed, the entrance means prevents animals from escaping the enclosure however additional animals are still able to enter the enclosure when the triggering means has been activated resulting in the entrance means closing. This is particularly advantageous for example when one animal from a family member has entered the enclosure and has triggered the opening means. Other family members are still able to enter the enclosure and the inventor suspects that this is particularly advantageous when for example young animals have entered the enclosure and triggered the mechanism while the parents of that young animal have not yet entered the trap. The configuration of the entrance means allows the parents of the young trapped animal to enter the trap.

The inventor anticipates that in operation, embodiments of the present invention will be exceedingly effective in humanely capturing large numbers of subject animals. For example, farmers and conservationists will routinely capture one or more animals, at one time in the same enclosure.

Throughout this specification and any claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", "comprising" and the like, are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive sense, that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

Titles, heading, or the like are provided herein to enhance the reader's comprehension of the document and should not be read as limiting the scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

Claims

1. An enclosure for trapping animals, comprising; an entrance means for directing one or more animals into the enclosure that when closed prevents said one or more animals escaping from said enclosure once they have passed the entrance means while allowing one or more further animals to enter the enclosure when the entrance means is closed; an opening means for urging the entrance means to an open position that is connected to the enclosure by an attachment means; wherein entrance means moves from an open position to a closed position when one or more animals disturbs the attachment means causing the opening means to disengage with the entrance means causing the entrance means to move to a closed position.

2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the entrance means comprises a passageway that extends from an opening in a sidewall of the enclosure toward the center portion of the enclosure.

3. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the opening means for urging the entrance means to an open position comprises a rod member, the rod member fixedly attached to a side of the entrance means.

4. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the enclosure further comprises a wire mesh body forming a sufficient lattice structure to prevent animals from escaping therefrom.

5. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the enclosure further comprises bait fixing means.

6. An animal trap apparatus, comprising: an enclosure having a passageway configured to receive at least one animal to be trapped therein, the passageway being configured to direct the at least one animal toward the center of the enclosure; the passageway being held in an open position to allow the animal to enter the enclosure, the passageway preventing the animal from escaping from the enclosure once the animal has entered the enclosure and the passageway has moved to the closed position; an opening means which urges the passageway in an open position; and attachment means that connects the opening means to the enclosure.

7. The animal trap apparatus of claim 6, wherein the passageway extends from an exterior wall of the enclosure toward the center of the enclosure.

8. The animal trap apparatus of claim 7, wherein the opening means further comprises a rod member fixedly attached to a side of the passageway.

9. The animal trap apparatus of claim 6, wherein the attachment means is configured to disengage the opening means from the passageway when triggered by one or more animals moving the passageway to a closed position.

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