I am writing to share a story that took place this week, with the

hope that the person(s) responsible for this senseless act will realize the danger

not only to our pets, but to our children and to all of us from “leg-hold traps.”

On Tuesday afternoon, a young raccoon came limping to our patio

in search of food. It was very obvious that his left front leg had been caught in

a trap and that without veterinary care, he would die. Thanks to “Crazy

Bob,” and the compassionate people who volunteer their time at Sarvey

Regional Wildlife Center, he will recover and be placed back in the wild

following the amputation of his leg.

I am writing this to you from my home on the Cedar Falls Road,

right below Wilderness Rim. My concern is that there are many children, dogs

and cats who roam these woods every day who could, unknowingly, step into

one of these traps and be badly hurt. I do not know where this trap was

placed, but I can tell you that it isn’t far from here. The raccoon would not

have made it far on his leg, which was broken, infected and beyond repair. In

the words of Crazy Bob, he has seen this too many times and without

intervention, the raccoon would not have survived.

He also informed me that there is an initiative on the ballot to ban

leg-hold traps, and I urge all of us, animal lovers or not, to push this through.

Next time it could be your dog, your cat or your child.

Kim Sarbiewski

North Bend