Proposals to bring in a ban on the use of glue traps have been welcomed by the RSPCA as they reveal they have been called to hundreds of incidents involving the sticky traps over the last five years. 
This week a Private Member’s Bill was introduced calling for a ban on the use of these traps. The Bill has the backing of the Government.
The RSPCA received 236 reports of glue trap incidents to its cruelty line from 2016 to 2020 involving animals including cats, garden birds, hedgehogs, squirrels and even a parrot.
Glue traps, also known as ‘glue boards’ or ‘sticky boards’, consist of a sheet of plastic, cardboard or wood coated with non-drying adhesive designed to trap rodents such as mice and rats as they cross the board.
However, less than 27% of animals involved in incidents seen by the RSPCA were rodents, and a huge 73% of incidents involved non-target species such as pets and other wild animals, many of which were too badly maimed and injured to survive.
RSPCA Vice President and naturalist Chris Packham said: “It is very encouraging that these horrific traps are set to be banned. They are incredibly cruel and do not discriminate which animals they maim, injure and kill. I am really pleased that steps are being taken to get rid of them for good.”
Chris Sherwood, Chief Executive of the RSPCA, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see the first steps towards a ban of torturous glue traps which cause such suffering and misery to animals. Our frontline rescuers and hospital staff are sickened by the horrific injuries animals suffer as they struggle to free themselves. Mice and rats are the main victims but other animals such as snakes, robins, owls and even kittens and cats maimed or fatally injured because of these awful traps.”
The RSPCA opposes the manufacture, sale and use of glue-traps because of the unnecessary suffering they cause to animals. They are also completely indiscriminate in which animals they trap so they pose a danger not only to the rodents they are intended to catch, but to other wild animals and pets too.
Jane Stevenson, MP for Wolverhampton North East – this week (Wednesday 16 June) laid the Private Member’s Bill proposing a ban on the use of glue traps.
Chris added: “We applaud MP, Jane Stevenson in her mission to ban these traps and are pleased to see this bill has Government support. We believe the public want to see traps like this banned and hope this bill progresses through parliament quickly so we can consign glue traps to the history books for good.”
The announcement comes as the charity reflects back on just some of the incidents they have seen where animals have been maimed or killed by these indiscriminate traps.
