Russian
Live Trap Photos: Weasel Guard
Here you get an idea of a captured shrew's view of
the Russian trap (more or less). This is a view into the trap from the rear
with the floor removed (I removed the floor to allow more light into the trap
for the picture). Notice the bent-wire "weasel guard" that has fallen
and caught on the pop rivet in the door. This is useful for several reasons...
first, once a volunteer (mouse or shrew) enters the trap, it locks shut so no
one else may enter. This prevents trapped animals from injuring one another or
a predator from entering to consume volunteer study subjects. This also seemed
effective against raccoons and opossums who tried to reach in and make the
volunteers their own. Second, it also enables the researcher to lock traps shut
between trapping sessions, if you want to leave traps in the field. I strongly
recommend double checking the traps to be sure the "weasel guard"
keeps the door all the way down if you plan to leave them unattended. Lastly, I
noticed short-tailed shrews pushing their noses under the door and attempting
to lift the door from the inside. Out of curiosity I lifted the "weasel
guard" (deactivating it) and they were indeed able to use their noses to
pull the door in and up enough to slip out.
Feel free to email me if you have any
questions about the trap.
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PC / Division of Science / Biology / Faculty / JWhittaker
URL: http://campus.pc.edu/~jwhittak/RussianTrap/weasel_guard.html
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