A large number of leg-hold traps were found around Sandy Point. Photo: Invercargill City Council
More than 100 leg-hold traps have been discovered in a popular Invercargill reserve, prompting warnings that someone or their pet could get seriously hurt.
The traps were found around Sandy Point, which is used for walking, mountain biking and horse riding.
Invercargill City Council parks and recreation manager Caroline Rain said a member of the public alerted them after finding a leg-hold trap between Sandy Point Road and Christies Track.
Rangers then found and removed more than 100 of them during about a two kilometre sweep, she said.
They did occasionally find traps in the area, but it was highly unusual to find them on that scale, Rain said.
"We've not seen this many illegal traps in this area. These are things we didn't permit to happen, it's beyond what I've seen before," she said.
"We want the public to be safe out there."
She urged people to take extra care as there could be more, and reminded people that it was illegal to put them on the council's recreational reserve.
"Please never place leg-hold traps in our public parks - these are areas where people walk and where pets often roam. It would be far too easy for someone or their pet to be seriously injured," the council said.
She said no injuries had been reported, but she had heard of people's pets getting caught and injured in one "a couple of times" in the five years she had been with the council.
Anyone who found a leg-hold trap on council land was encouraged to contact the council's parks and recreation team immediately, not to approach or tamper with it and to note the exact location.
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