Following pressure from American animal-rights nonprofit organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) India, e-commerce giants such as Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho have removed glue traps.
Why Has A Such Measure Been Taken?
Big online platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho have removed blocked listings for glue traps, a device known for inflicting immense suffering on animals. According to a report by Times of India, the move is a result of significant pressure from PETA India.
In fact, it is not only PETA India that is pushing people to stop using these devices but the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also warns against the use of glue traps because animals caught in them lose control of their bodily functions, creating a danger of disease transmission.
A glue trap is a small board made of cardboard, fiberboard or plastic that is coated with a sticky adhesive. It has the force to capture any small animal that wanders across or lands on its surface, including rats and other pests.
Activists claim that creatures ensnared in such traps endure agonizing hours, which sometimes even turn into days. The trapped animals struggle to free themselves from the sticky adhesive, but to no use, as they later succumb to starvation or injuries.
Pradeep Kumar Nath, founder of the Visakha Society for Protection and Care of Animals, said, “Of late everywhere, even in houses, conventional rat traps are being replaced with adhesive rubber pads that are traps with death penalties that is preceded by indiscriminate cruelty. Removing a glue pad from the animal stuck is impossible. It does not only leads to the suffering of the mice but also other animals and wildlife. It could also be a human health hazard.”
The decision to remove glue traps resonates with a broader nationwide movement against such inhumane practices. Bans on the sale, manufacture, and use of glue traps have already been implemented in several states and Union Territories across India.
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What’s The Response Of PETA Like?
PETA India has appreciated the move taken by giants including Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Meesho and JioMart. They are still encouraging other big e-commerce platforms such as BigBasket and IndiaMART to follow in the same footsteps and cease the sale as well as advertisement of glue traps.
Adding on, PETA encourages the public to join the cause by urging any remaining retailers to discontinue promoting these cruel products. It says that animals stuck in these traps sometimes also chew off their own limbs before succumbing to shock, dehydration or asphyxiation.
Moreover, PETA also argues that glue traps are ineffective as they do not solve the main problem: preventing the entry of these houseguests. The source of the problem is that as long as food remains accessible, more rodents will move in to take the place of those who have been killed.
What Are Some Other Significant Things To Note?
In September 2023, the Delhi government banned the manufacture, sale and use of glue pads, a cruel method commonly used to kill rodents. Other states to prohibit this method include Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh.
PETA India welcomed this action taken by the Delhi Government, saying that it is not only rodents but also other animals such as squirrels and frogs, who also get caught in these traps unintentionally.
Adding on, PETA has disseminated a plethora of information on its official website to spread awareness about these ferocious tools.
The organization explains that the screaming of wildlife stuck in these traps is extremely upsetting to people who don’t know how to dispose of these beings. Left alone, they die from being crushed in the garbage, which is where the instructions on the traps advise consumers to put them.
These actions align with efforts to prevent animal cruelty, yet questions about human-wildlife conflicts still exist in India. While it’s encouraging that many states have banned this cruel practice, there’s ongoing debate about finding ethical solutions to the problem.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: India Today, Times of India, PETA
Find the blogger: Unusha Ahmad
This post is tagged under: PETA, American, NGO, Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, JioMart, online, websites, product, activists, rodents, UT, SnapDeal, IndiaMART, BigBasket, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, government
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