Arunachal Pradesh bans rodent-catching glue traps

A State government notification on August 24 to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and use of such traps followed a PETA India appeal.

The use of glue traps is a punishable offence under Section 11 of the PCA Act. A bird can damage its wings and feathers if it gets stuck in a glue trap. (Image for Representation.) | Photo Credit: The Hindu

GUWAHATI

The Arunachal Pradesh government has prohibited the Statewide manufacture, sale, and use of glue traps for catching rats and mice following an appeal from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India.

An August 24 notification from Bidol Tayeng, Commissioner for the State’s Animal Husbandry, Veterinary and Dairy Development, cited advisories issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to impose the ban on glue traps.

The notification also said that the use of glue traps for catching rats and mice violates the provisions of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, as they increase the suffering of small animals that get trapped on sticky boards.

“PETA India applauds the Arunachal Pradesh government for taking steps to protect animals, no matter how small, and for sparing them hideously slow and painful deaths,” PETA India’s advocacy officer Farhat Ul Ain said.

“Glue traps are ineffective in the long-term since they do not deal with the root of the problem. Simply put, more rats and mice move in, as their breeding is prompted by a brief increase in the food supply. The result is a vicious killing cycle in which many animals suffer and die,” she said.

In its appeal, PETA India requested Arunachal Pradesh government to take immediate steps to implement the AWBI’s directions against glue traps. Similar circulars taking action on glue traps have been issued in States such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal.

The use of glue traps is a punishable offence under Section 11 of the PCA Act. 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, PETA India said

This makes their use also a violation of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which prohibits the “hunting” of protected indigenous species.

According to PETA India, the best way to control rodent populations is to make an area unattractive or inaccessible to them. This can be done by eliminating food sources by keeping surfaces and floors clean, storing food in gnaw-proof containers, sealing trash cans, and using ammonia-soaked cotton balls or gas to drive the rodents away.