Trap Free New Mexico

08/14/2026

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in August asked Attorney General Raúl Torrez to consider prosecuting a Catron County trapper who killed a Mexican gray wolf after trapping it on public land. Instead, Torrez’s office required him to get an app.

William Nelson, permitted to set traps as a public safety and depredation control officer with the Catron County Sheriff’s Office, was ordered by the New Mexico Department of Justice to download the onX Hunt app. The app shows private and public land boundaries, according to a pre-prosecution letter obtained by the Journal...

A Catron County man illegally trapped a Mexican gray wolf in the Gila National Forest, suffocating it during an alleged release attempt. Prosecutors' response? Download an app.

06/29/2026

Since 2022, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has investigated at least six cases of wolves caught in private traps, most set to protect livestock, according to reports obtained through a state Inspection of Public Records Act request.

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/reports-detail-wolf-trappings-across-state/3069741

06/29/2026

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that 84 wolves have been caught in private traps since 1998, the majority in New Mexico. Of those, at least five died as a result of being trapped, 11 had a leg amputated and 79 were rereleased.

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/wolf-trapping-on-the-rise-in-new-mexico-1/3066669

07/19/2025

A Valdez couple were devastated to find their beloved husky, whom some in the area referred to as "the Mayor of Valdez,” dead in a wire trap off Broken Arrow Road in early June.

Valdez dog dies in snare trap.

03/15/2025

Please take a few minutes for New Mexico wildlife!

Please ask the Governor to sign Senate Bill 5 for wildlife. SB 5 has passed the legislature and Governor Lujan Grisham needs to sign it.

01/09/2025

KOB 4: Farmington cat injured after getting caught by illegal trap

Farmington cat injured after getting caught by illegal trap.

11/27/2023

Trap Incident Report: Dog caught and maimed by suspected snare trap near Rodarte, NM: https://trapfreenm.org/trap-incident-report-dog-caught-and-maimed-by-suspected-snare-trap-near-rodarte-nm/

09/19/2023

Thanks to the tireless work of thousands of New Mexicans for many years, Roxy’s Law was enacted in 2021 and implemented in 2022. Since then, there has been a stark decline in the number of native wildlife killed by traps. And, reports to TrapFree New Mexico show very few people and pets having horrible encounters with traps when recreating on public lands.

In other words, Roxy's Law is working!

Celebrating trap-free New Mexico public lands. Roxy’s Law is protecting wildlife, people, and pets from dangerous traps on public lands.

04/03/2023

"Rio Arriba County, New Mexico Animal Control officers brought in a seven-month-old puppy with a severely swollen head and an undeniable snare around his neck. The puppy was having a hard time breathing.

A good Samaritan called officers when they saw the dog running just north of .

'Fortunately, for this dog, he was able to actually pull the cable from whatever it was attached to and break himself free,' said Allen.

A vet team was able to sedate the dog and cut off the snare.

Two days later, the little guy, temporarily known as Muffin, is looking good as new.

But the incident raises questions about New Mexico’s trapping laws.

'The problem with these snares is that they’re indiscriminate. When you set a snare like that you can trap anything it does not discriminate what type of living being is getting strangled by this thing,' said Allen."

Thank you to Española Humane !!!

Rio Arriba County Animal Control officers brought in a seven-month-old puppy with a severely swollen head and an undeniable snare around his neck. The puppy was having a hard time breathing.

10/27/2022

From the Cibola Citizen: Milan man Zacharia Copeland, 22, has been charged with Trapping Without a License. The charge came after Copeland posted a Facebook photo of a badger he had shot. Investigators found the photo, and on October 19 they filed a criminal complaint against Copeland. An arraignment has been scheduled in the Cibola County Magistrate Court for November 21 at 9 a.m. According to the criminal complaint, badgers are protected animals in the State of New Mexico and can only be trapped or hunted with a permit.

MILAN, N.M. – Milan man Zacharia Copeland, 22, has been charged with Trapping Without a License. The charge came after Copeland posted a Facebook photo of a badger he had shot. Investigators found the photo, and on October 19 they filed a criminal complaint against Copeland. An arraignment has bee...