After Defending Pigs, West Bengal Stands Up for Rodents and Other Small Animals, Banning Cruel Glue Traps in Response to PETA India Appeal 

For Immediate Release:

01 June 2023

Contact:

Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]

Farhat Ul Ain; [email protected]

Kolkata – Following an appeal by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the Directorate of Animal Resources and Animal Health, West Bengal, has asked that necessary action be taken by the deputy director of animal resources and development and parishad officer of all districts to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and use of glue traps in the state. The circular cites advisories issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India calling for restrictions on these devices for rodent control. The move comes on the heels of another circular issued by West Bengal government prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and use of severely restrictive gestation and farrowing crates in pig farming following an appeal by PETA India.

The copy of the circular issued by the Directorate of Animal Resources and Animal Health, West Bengal, just received by PETA India, can be available upon request.

PETA India drew the West Bengal government’s attention to the indiscriminate nature of deadly glue traps, which catch not only rodents but also other small “non-target” animals, including birds, squirrels, reptiles, and frogs, causing them excruciating pain and leading to a slow, torturous death. Similar circulars taking action on glue traps have previously been issued by the governments of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

“PETA India applauds the West Bengal government for taking steps to protect animals, no matter how small, and for setting an example for the entire country to follow,” says PETA India Advocacy Officer Farhat Ul Ain. “Glue traps do not work in the long run, because they do not address the source of the issue. More rodents simply move in, and a temporary spike in the food supply prompts breeding. The result is a vicious killing cycle in which many animals suffer and die.”

The use of glue traps, which causes unnecessary suffering to animals, is a punishable offence under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA), 1960. Usually made of plastic trays or sheets of cardboard covered with strong glue, the traps pose a danger to any animal who may cross their path. The use of glue traps is also in violation of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which prohibits the “hunting” of protected indigenous species. Mice, rats, and other animals caught in these traps can die of hunger, dehydration, or exposure after days of prolonged suffering. Others may suffocate when their noses and mouths become stuck in the glue, while some even chew through their legs in a desperate bid for freedom and die from blood loss. Those found alive may be thrown away along with the trap or may face an even more traumatic death, such as by bludgeoning or drowning.

PETA India notes that the best way to control rodent populations is to make the area unattractive or inaccessible to them: eliminate food sources by keeping surfaces and floors clean, storing food in chew-proof containers, and sealing trash cans, and use ammonia-soaked cotton balls or rags to drive rodents away (they hate the smell). After giving them a few days to leave, seal entry points using foam sealant, steel wool, hardware cloth, or metal flashing. Rodents can also be removed using humane cage traps but must be released where they will find adequate food, water, and shelter to help them survive.

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

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