An animal trap features entrance encouraging mechanism for urging ananimal into an enclosure of the trap. The mechanism features a pushing unitpivotallysupported outside the interior space of the enclosure adjacent an access-waythatopens into same. The pushing unit is pivotal about an axis generally parallelto aplane of the access-way for movement between a withdrawn position in which theaccess-way is unobstructed and a working position in which the pushing unitsubstantially obstructs the access-way. An actuator coupled to the pushingunit istriggered by an animal detection device at an approach area outside theenclosurewithin a travel path followed by the pushing unit, whereby the pushing uniturges theanimal toward and through the access-way into the interior space of theenclosure. Aone way gate prevents exit of the trapped animal after return of the pushingunit to thewithdrawn position.
