Technical assessment of mechanical and electronic traps to facilitate future improvements in trap efficacy and humaneness

BACKGROUNDSnap traps and electronic traps are the main devices for nonchemical management of rodent pests. Traps should be efficient and should not cause unnecessary suffering of animals. Harmonized, systematic test methods are required to make sure that mechanical forces or electrical parameters are optimal to achieve swift unconsciousness and death. This study aimed to describe technical trap properties that can be used to facilitate future improvements in trap efficacy and humaneness.METHODSWe constructed a device to assess spring energy, triggering force, impulse and clamping force, and developed an arrangement to assess effective voltage, current, effective current and effective energy taking effect on rodent bodies in electronic traps - all without the use of animals. Descriptive data of trap characteristics were collated.RESULTSAll factors showed variability among snap trap models and trigger types, and there was considerable overlap between mouse and rat traps. For most trap models, there was no difference among new snap traps and traps that had been trigged 20 times. Effective current and effective energy decreased with lower voltage input, but the traps indicated weak battery by LED lights, and one model switched off automatically when voltage was insufficient.CONCLUSIONWith the device and the electronic arrangement, the majority of snap trap models and electronic traps available on the market can be assessed in a standardized and repeatable way. Matching the data generated in this study with data on time for trapped target animals to reach irreversible unconsciousness, and experiences from pest control practitioners, should allow relating properties of traps to efficacy and animal welfare issues. This can support further development and optimization of traps for nonchemical rodent pest control. (c) 2024 Julius Kuehn-Institut and The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. With a newly developed device, spring energy, triggering force, impulse and clamping force of rodent snap traps can be assessed and were determined. Electric properties of electrocution traps were also evaluated. Data generated should be matched with results from animal experiments to relate trap properties to effectiveness and animal welfare issues. image