A24 Animal Traps

Thank you for contacting me about the Goodnature model A24 animal trap.
 
Let me first assure you that no spring trap, including this one, is approved for use against hedgehogs. It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to use any trap or snare to kill or take a hedgehog, or set a trap or snare in a way that is likely to injure one.
 
Any new spring traps offered for sale must first be approved for use through a Spring Trap Approval Order. Before it can be approved, the Animal and Plant Health Agency must assess its humaneness and recommend any conditions of use (for example, placement criteria or permitted target species).
 
The order that applies to the Goodnature A24 states that it may only be used to kill rats and stoats. The trap must also be placed so that it can only be entered through an artificial tunnel suitable for that purpose.
 
All approved spring traps must, so far as is practicable, be used in a manner that minimises the likelihood of killing, taking or injuring non-target species. It is for the trapper to make sure they comply with these conditions of use, and do not commit any offence. Where the safety of protected species cannot be reasonably assured, non-lethal methods of capture, such as cage trapping, should be used so that non-target species can be released unharmed if they are captured accidentally.
 
I hope you will find this information helpful. Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.