ALBUQUERQUE — Conservation groups want wildlife officials to ban all recreational and commercial trapping on public lands in New Mexico.

The request was made this week despite a recent recommendation that game commissioners reconsider a temporary trapping ban in place in southwestern New Mexico where Mexican gray wolves have been reintroduced. The suggestion came from a small business task force appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez.

Conservationists say they're concerned about recent incidents involving recreationists and their pets being injured by traps, as well as the number of bobcats and other animals being trapped and killed for their pelts.

WildEarth Guardians, Animal Protection of New Mexico and the Sierra Club outlined their concerns in a letter sent Tuesday to the New Mexico Game Commission and the state Game and Fish Department.

"It's been years trying to get them to address this issue. It's cruel, it's inhumane, it's disgusting," said Wendy Keefover-Ring, WildEarth Guardians' carnivore protection director.

Keefover-Ring pointed to other western states — including Arizona and Colorado — that have banned or restricted trapping on public lands. "It's time for New Mexico to come along," she said.

State game officials did not immediately return messages seeking comment Wednesday.

The Game Commission used to review the furbearer rules in two-year intervals. It conducted a partial review in 2008 and recently opened the rules for discussion again.

There are few limits in New Mexico on how many animals can be killed by licensed trappers, but there are rules for how often trappers are required to inspect their traps and where traps and snares can be placed. Areas close to campgrounds, picnic areas, designated trails and roadways are off-limits, and trappers are required to mark their equipment with their name or an identification number.

Critics contend the furbearer rules are inadequate, and that the state's cost of administering the program exceeds revenues from permitting fees.

"These guys are paying $20 for a license, and they're getting to profit at the public trough," Keefover-Ring said, explaining that pelts can sell for hundreds of dollars.

The furbearer rules were specifically mentioned in an April report prepared by the governor's small business task force, which reviewed dozens of rules in an effort to identify ways the state could be more business-friendly and encourage economic development.

The task force suggested that the local economic environment could be "enhanced" by removing the trapping ban in wolf territory.

Regulated furbearer trapping on the Gila and Apache national forests was banned last summer by former Gov. Bill Richardson. The Game Commission extended the ban last fall, giving researchers time to study the risks of trapping and snaring to the wolves.



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