Recently the Animal Protection Institute filed a letter of intent to sue the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. This action is the result of years of endangered and threatened species being caught and sometimes killed in steel jaw leg hold traps and conibear traps.

The latter supposedly kill their victim quickly, although those familiar with them know that they don’t always.

Even lynx and bald eagles caught in leghold traps sometime die after being released due to secondary causes such as starvation.

This is all documented by the agency being threatened with the lawsuit.

The letter of intent is accurate in explaining to the department that this is illegal activity, clearly covered by the Endangered Species Act. The ESA states that it is illegal to harass, trap or harm in any way an endangered or threatened species.

Trapping is done in the name of tradition. Trapping was a tradition that our country was built on.

Trappers fed and clothed their families with this activity. This is no longer the case. People who trap now do it for fun. Most trappers have fulltime jobs and run trap lines on weekends. Many trappers now admit that trapping actually costs them money because of rising gas prices.

Although the law specifically states that leghold traps must be checked every 24 hours and conibears every three days this is often not the case. I know this because I often sit and listen to trappers talk.

It is neither humane nor painless for the animal, as they would have you believe. In a recent BDN straw poll 79 percent of Mainers thought that trapping should be prohibited in areas where endangered or threatened species live. I wonder why anyone thinks recreational trapping should continue at all?

There will always be cases where animal damage control must use lethal means as a last resort, but this is not of what we speak. This is recreational trapping. Those who hide behind the name tradition should be asked whether an action alone makes it tradition. I believe the motive is as much a part of the tradition as the action and by this standard very little of what trappers pass off as tradition actually is.

We’ve heard the recent spin from the Maine Trappers Association that the Animal Protection Institute is abusing the ESA. This is patently ridiculous.

The ESA was developed to protect species at risk. Lynx, bald and golden eagles and gray wolves, transient or otherwise, are at risk from this activity. Enforcing a law is not abusing the law.

Since the DIF&W refuses to take the requisite action, someone must and we support this means to that end.

What trappers fail to understand is that T&E species do not just go extinct overnight. There are more than 200 lynx in Maine. Are we to wait until there are only 100 to take action? Maybe we can wait until there are only 10?

There are few golden eagles in Maine and yet one was caught in a trap. Should that matter?

In these days of war, poor economy, troubled kids and so many other worries it seems difficult to consider a wild animal caught in a trap, but I would ask you all to ask yourselves if it was your pet, how would you feel? If it were the last lynx or golden eagle or wolf, would you care? I think the people of Maine do and I hope the necessary changes can be made to put this issue to bed.

If I could suggest one change that would help the way Maine’s wildlife is dealt with it would be to reinstate a Non-Game and Endangered Species Advisory Council that would have the same powers of rule making that the current Advisory Council for IF&W has.

This would provide balance and much needed protection for these species.

There would be representation for all wildlife instead of just for those who make money for the department through the sale of licenses.

I urge you all to contact your representatives and senators and ask them to urge the governor and the state agency to do what it must to protect Maine’s wildlife first and let its antiquated idea that we need recreational trapping fall by the wayside.

In other words, urge them to follow the law and protect our species of greatest concern.

Daryl DeJoy is the executive director of the Wildlife Alliance of Maine and a registered Maine guide.