Gujarat High Court Asks State Government to Impose Ban on Deadly Glue Traps to Protect Wildlife & Small Animals

For Immediate Release:

04 May 2026

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Ahmedabad – In a recently released order to be, the Hon’ble High Court of Gujarat, in Writ Petition (PIL) no. 28 of 2024, where People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) is an impleaded respondent, has required the Chief Secretary of Gujarat “to answer as to what action has been taken at his ends in light of the circular dated 16.11.2020 issued by the concerned Ministry of the Government of India, with the direction to impose a strict ban on use of glue traps.” PETA India had submitted evidence of widespread sale of glue traps in the state which cause enormous suffering and harm to rats, birds, lizards, kittens and other small animals.

The court noted that circulars issued by the Gujarat State Animal Welfare Board (SAWB) alone were insufficient for effectively implementing a prohibition on the manufacture, sale and use of glue traps in alignment with Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, and that further action was required. The court has now directed the Chief Secretary to explain what steps have been taken by his office pursuant to the circular directing implementation of the ban on glue traps issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India on 16 November 2020.

Despite the ban on the glue traps since 2020, a market survey conducted by PETA India in March 2026 of retail outlets and online marketplaces in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Anand revealed that glue traps remain widely sold and readily available across these markets. Glue traps are marketed under various names but are all designed to attract and immobilize small animals through adhesive mechanisms. Shopkeepers refused to provide a bill, apparently knowing these products were illegal; however, this didn’t deter sales.

“Glue traps sentence small animals to hideously slow and painful deaths, and they are completely indiscriminate as any small animals can be caught in them,” says PETA India Senior Policy Advisor Ujjwal Agrain. “PETA India urges the government of Gujarat to urgently take steps to take all forms of glue traps off store shelves.”

The use of glue traps, which causes unnecessary suffering to animals, violates Section 11 of the PCA Act, 1960. The use of glue traps is also in violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which prohibits the “hunting” of protected indigenous species. Mice, rats, and other animals caught in these traps die of hunger, dehydration, or exposure, often 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.

The Indian retail sector has shown leadership on this issue as major e-commerce platforms such as Amazon India, Flipkart, Meesho, Snapdeal, and Jiomart, alongside large-scale retailers like Wellness Forever and Rajmandir Hypermarket, have already removed glue traps from their inventories. Glue traps are prohibited or restricted in many countries including England, Wales, Scotland, New Zealand, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Iceland and Ireland.

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 X, Facebook, or Instagram.

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