Massachusetts: Worcester man, Dennis Duval, 77, charged with animal cruelty in leg-hold trapping of skunk

MASSACHUSETTS -- A city man has been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly setting an illegal trap in his yard that caused a skunk to die an agonizing death, according to MSPCA-Angell's Law Enforcement Department.

Dennis Duval, 77, of 188 Sunderland Road is to be arraigned next month in Central District Court.

Worcester Animal Control Officer Patrick Cherry found the young male skunk alive but gravely wounded on Aug. 15. A neighbor had called authorities to report that a skunk was caught in a trap, according to a statement of facts by Officer Cherry on file in court.

The animal had tried to chew its front leg off after being caught in the trap, according to an MSPCA-Angell news release. Mr. Cherry took the wild skunk to a local veterinarian, who euthanized it.

MSPCA Law Enforcement Sgt. Peter Oberton was notified and reviewed the trap and photographs of the animal's injuries, the release said.

"This skunk endured unspeakable suffering once its leg became ensnared by the trap," said Sgt. Oberton. "The pain of having its leg crushed by the trap was compounded by the fear he would have felt, which forced him to try to chew his own leg off in order to survive."

Officer Cherry said leg-hold traps, which snap shut on an animal's leg without killing it, have been illegal in Massachusetts for more than a decade.

"The trap's steel jaws snap so quickly that there is no possibility of escape — and skin, bone and connective tissue are often immediately shattered," the organization said in the release. "The inherent cruelty of leg-hold traps prompted Massachusetts voters to ban them in 1996, making use of the trap a felony charge."

The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $2,500 fine.

MSPCA-Angell said the Worcester case comes as five pro-trapping bills are being considered by lawmakers.

(The Telegram - Sept 10, 2013)