A portable metal box trap for live-capture of feral pigs

Abstract

This paper presents design specifications and operation for a newly designed box trap. Used for live-capture of feral pigs in a tropical rain forest in Hawai’i, this trap can be utilized in other habitats for trapping other large quadrupeds (e.g., bears and deer). Each assembled trap weighs 195 pounds and has six separable portable panels. Following an eight-step procedure, a trap can be constructed in eight man-hours. Features of the trap which are not found in other designs and considered unique are: (1) it is all metal; (2) it is equipped with a multi-catch door which forms part of a panel; (3) it uses sleeve-couplings instead of conventional-type hinges for door attachment; (4) it employs convenient use of panel clamps for locking panels together; (5) it allows a wide range of convertibility of an individual trap into group traps of any configuration. After more than 18 months of use in the field, the metal box trap has been found to be an efficient, durable, practical, and safe method of trapping pigs alive for scientific investigation or in a control program.