Visakhapatnam, June 2, 2023: In response to an appeal from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the Directorate of Animal Husbandry in Andhra Pradesh has issued a circular recommending a ban on the manufacture, sale, and use of glue traps for rodent control throughout the state.
The circular highlights that the use of glue traps to catch rodents and other small animals is a violation of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. It instructs district animal husbandry officers to implement advisories from the Animal Welfare Board of India and urges law enforcement authorities to conduct special drives to seize glue traps from manufacturers and traders. Field functionaries are also encouraged to publicize the order while promoting the adoption of humane methods for rodent control.
PETA India emphasized the indiscriminate nature of glue traps, which not only capture rodents but also ensnare other unintended creatures such as birds, squirrels, reptiles, and frogs, subjecting them to excruciating pain and a slow, agonizing death. Similar circulars prohibiting the use of glue traps have been issued by the governments of Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.
Farhat Ul Ain, PETA India Advocacy Officer, stated, “The manufacturers and sellers of glue traps sentence small animals to hideously slow and painful deaths and can turn buyers into lawbreakers.” PETA India commends the Andhra Pradesh government for taking steps to protect animals, regardless of their size, and setting an example for the entire country.
The use of glue traps, which inflicts unnecessary suffering on animals, is a punishable offense under Section 11 of the PCA Act, 1960. These traps, typically made of plastic trays or cardboard sheets covered with strong glue, pose a danger to any animal that encounters them. Their usage also violates the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which prohibits the hunting of protected indigenous species. Animals caught in glue traps may die from hunger, dehydration, or exposure after days of suffering. Some may suffocate as their mouths and noses become stuck in the adhesive, while others resort to chewing off their own limbs in a desperate attempt to escape, resulting in death from blood loss.