West Bengal bans use of glue-traps for rodents, other small animals

Kolkata, May 31 (IANS) West Bengal government has banned the use of glue-traps for trapping rodents and other small creatures with the state animal husbandry department officially issuing an order on an appeal from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The department has also prohibited manufacture and sale of glue-traps in the state.

PETA India drew the state government's attention to the indiscriminate nature of deadly glue-traps in which not just the rodents but also other small "non-target" animals like birds, squirrels, reptiles and frogs were becoming victims. The use of glue-traps causes these animals excruciating pain and leads to a slow and torturous death. It is learnt that West Bengal is 12th Indian state to ban the manufacture, sale and use of glue-traps after Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

Welcoming the decision, PETA- India's advocacy officer Arhat Ul Ain said that glue traps do not work in the long run, since 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," he added.

He also pointed out that the use of glue-traps 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 which might 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 get 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," he added.

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