Trapping ban now in effect on public lands in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It is now illegal to use wildlife traps, snares and poison on public lands across New Mexico under a ban that took effect Friday. New Mexico joined a handful of Western states that have limited trapping on public lands. The New Mexico measure, dubbed “Roxy’s Law,” was approved in 2021 following several failed attempts by animal advocates over the years to rein in a practice they have described as archaic and indiscriminate. Ranchers and wildlife conservation officers have argued that trapping is an important tool for managing wildlife and protecting livestock in rural parts of the state.