Leghold traps banned by B.C. town

The B.C. town of Gibsons has banned harmful animal traps in a move being called the first of its kind in Canada.

The bylaw bans all body-clamping traps, such as leghold and snare traps, except those used by conservation officers, radio station CKAY reported Wednesday.

The maximum fine for violating the law is $1,000.

Gibsons council passed the law Tuesday at the urging of the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals, which said Gibsons is the first place in Canada with such a comprehensive bylaw.

Mayor Barry Janyk says he was surprised to hear his town — on the Sunshine Coast northwest of Vancouver — was first to go this far with such a bylaw because it seemed a common sense move.

The ban came after a woman's dog was caught in a leghold trap in Gibsons that was intended to capture wolves.