Uttarakhand Stands Up for Rodents and Other Small Animals, Bans Cruel Glue Traps in Response to PETA India Appeal

For Immediate Release:

08 August 2023

Contact:

Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]

Farhat Ul Ain; [email protected]

Dehradun – Following an appeal by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the Uttarakhand Animal Welfare Board has issued a circular instructing the district magistrates and president of the district society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, Uttarakhand, to comply with Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) advisories prohibiting glue traps.

The circular cites advisories issued by the AWBI in 2001 and 2020 calling for the strict implementation of a ban on the manufacture, sale, and use of glue traps.

The copy of the circular sent to PETA India by the Uttarakhand Animal Welfare Board is available upon request.

In its appeal, PETA India requested that the state take immediate steps to implement the AWBI’s directions. Similar circulars taking action on glue traps have previously been issued by the governments of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal.

“PETA India applauds the Uttarakhand 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 is a punishable offence under Section 11 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Usually made of plastic trays or sheets of cardboard covered with strong glue, these traps are indiscriminate killers, often catching non-target animals, including birds, squirrels, reptiles, and frogs. This makes their use also a 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 face an even more traumatic death, such as 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 and storing food in chew-proof containers, sealing trash cans, and using 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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