​Snaring in Scotland

The Wildlife & Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 now requires all Scottish snares to be "tagged" with a unique ID number issued by the local police force in order to identify the snare's operator. After some initial confusion, it has now emerged that applications for snaring ID numbers must be submitted in person at your local police constabulary HQ. Snaring Forms are available to download and must be submitted with either a passport or photocard driving licence, as well as a recent passport photograph and a cheque for £20.

​

Your local police constabulary will process the form and pass it on to Strathclyde Police HQ at Pitt Street in Glasgow, who in turn will forward an ID number by post. Waiting times for ID numbers are still unknown and may take as long as two weeks.

​

All snares set in Scotland must have an ID number and a letter indicating which species is being targetted (ie "F" for fox, "BH" for brown hare and "R" for rabbit) by the 1st April 2013.

​

There is no recommended format for the tags, but they must be easily legible and securely fastened to the snare. Some suppliers are now producing hard plastic tags which can be attached to the snare with a cable tie, while others offer stamped aluminium tags which can be threaded on to the tail of the snare.​

​