Visakhapatnam: Directorate of Animal Husbandry dept puts ban on glue trap for rodents

Visakhapatnam: Following an appeal fromPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the Directorate of Animal Husbandry of Andhra Pradesh has issued a circular recommending the prohibition of the manufacture, sale, and use of glue traps for rodent control in the state.

Affirming that the use of glue traps to catch rats and other small animals violates The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, the circular instructs district animal husbandry officers across the state to implement Animal Welfare Board of India advisories. It also commands law enforcement authorities to conduct special drives to seize glue traps from manufacturers and traders and field functionaries to publicise the order, while encouraging the use of humane methods of rodent control.

In its appeal, PETA India drew attention to the indiscriminate nature of the deadly 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 prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and use of glue traps have previously been issued by the governments of Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

“The manufacturers and sellers of glue traps sentence small animals to hideously slow and painful deaths and can turn buyers into lawbreakers,” says PETA India Advocacy Officer Farhat Ul Ain. “PETA India applauds the Andhra Pradesh government for taking steps to protect animals, no matter how small, and for setting an example for the entire country to follow.”

The use of glue traps, which causes unnecessary suffering to animals, is a punishable offence under Section 11 of the PCA Act, 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,it added.