FAQs

The GWCT is extremely conscious of its obligation to protect your identity and any data that can be associated with you. We take this very seriously indeed. Data are transferred to cloud storage under the encrypted HTTPS protocol. Access to the database is restricted to the GWCT and is carefully protected. Consequently, the data are as safe as any that you give to an online shop, or by using a loyalty card. We judge that the risk of unauthorised access is appropriately very low.

The database as a whole is accessible only by the GWCT. Individual organisations can access their own records but not those of other organisations. The GWCT assumes that data stored in the Trapper database are available for analysis by the GWCT to answer specific research questions. The GWCT will, however, inform contributors each time by email of their intention to do this. These notifications will typically state what the research question is, and whether the analysis is the response to a question from government or other outside body. In due course we will also keep you posted with a summary of the findings, and where to find a more detailed report. You may also request an electronic copy of all the data uploaded by you.

Once data are uploaded into the database, it will not be possible to remove them. We can, however, remove contact details when a login account is closed. We can also substitute details if the account holder must be changed because of personnel changes in the organisation – just let us know (support@trapper.ffrwd.net).

Wildlife management is a down-to-earth activity, and must remain so. All the same, we are doing it in a modern world. Record-keeping helps us do that intelligently and responsibly. Trapper uses modern communications technology to make record-keeping easy and quick, leaving more time to concentrate on the field-craft. It’s something we can use constructively, but it mustn’t take over. We have designed Trapper carefully to ensure it remains servant, not master.

Trapper has benefits for you first as an individual (keeping records that you can look back over, and providing a record of responsible use that you can use if needed), and secondly for the whole trapping community (because by using large amounts of pooled data we can quite quickly answer questions that one person could never answer in a lifetime).

• As a first step, try refreshing the page in your browser. This will ensure you are seeing the latest version of Trapper, with any changes that have been made back-of-house. To refresh the page, click in the search/URL box of your browser, and click ‘Go’ without changing the URL. Some browsers have a circular ‘refresh’ arrow in the search box to achieve the same thing; in Firefox the refresh arrow.
• Exceptionally, if all else fails, you may need to clear the browser cache, forcing it to reload the web page afresh. Make sure you have uploaded any recent data before you do this; data that is deleted before upload cannot be recovered.
• If you are on a mobile device, check that you have GPS switched on.
• If your compass seems to be pointing in the wrong direction, try holding the phone in the palm of your hand, and making a figure-of-eight gesture several times in all three dimensions. This will reset the phone’s orientation sensors. (Has your phone been close to a source of magnetism, such as a carry-case with a magnetic flap?).
• If you have any other problem, contact us at support@trapper.ffrwd.net.

A word of warning about responsibility: legally, the person who sets the trap or snare is responsible for its operation. Even if you delegate tasks like inspection or removal of traps to another person, it is technically your responsibility to ensure they are carried out. Trapper makes this easier than it would otherwise be, and we advise you to take this duty seriously.