OPELOUSAS – The Public Works Committee will recommend to the St. Landry Parish Council that it oppose a move to equip wild game snares with a 300-pound breakaway.

The concern is that the breakaway will allow beavers and coyotes to escape snares set for them.

The proposal, according to Curtis Cruz of the La. Fur Advisory Council, is being made to allow black bears and feral hogs to escape the snares.

“They want to require the 15 Atchafalaya Corridor parishes to have the 300-lb. breakaway on all snares. That would virtually eliminate all snare trapping,” Cruz said, adding relaxing locks are also being proposed.

Trappers’ concern is that beavers and coyotes desperate to escape create enough force to break free with such a limit.

“This proposal will stop you (the parish) from beaver control with snares and will stop landowners from protecting their crops against hogs,” Cruz said.

“Losing two or three bears to snares a year is nothing compared to protecting drainage, in my opinion,” he said.

Cruz also estimated 40 to 50 of the animals are killed annually by vehicles. He did not estimate how many are shot by hunters confusing bears for deer or other species, or just shooting them for the heck of it.

Opponents of the snare rule face an uphill effort in opposing a plan designed to assist an animal -- the black bear -- which has its own speciality Louisiana license plate.

LDWF hosted a public meeting on Friday night in Morganza to provide an update on Louisiana Black Bear recovery efforts and research.

The Louisiana Black Bear was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1992 as a threatened species.