Inhumane rat traps pose risk to all animals

People are urged to help encourage shop managers and owners to remove glue boards from their shelves

Tamlyn Jolly

July 9, 2017

As per the instructions, the staff member laid his arm on the glue board and allowed it to settle for 10 seconds PHOTOS: Empangeni SPCA

WHILE many people consider rats and mice as pests that should be ‘done away with’ at all costs, they are protected by the animal anti-cruelty act.

There is much behind-the-scenes work carried out by the various SPCA branches and National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA), much of which has contributed to the classification of numerous animal-related products as cruel and dangerous.

This classification of certain products has resulted in the products being removed from the shelves of major retailers, but not the small, independent shops, of which there are many in our region.

One such product is the ‘rat terminator’ glue board.

Sold in many independent shops locally, the sale of this glue board does not contravene the animal cruelty act, but the use of it reportedly does, as it is classified as ‘cruel and inhumane’.

According to the explicit instructions, using the glue board is simple.

After much external help, his forearm was eventually freed from the glue board

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Open the glue board. Place it in an area frequented by rats and once a rat is stuck to the board, simply fold and discard it.

The cruelty alarm is raised in the discarding of the glue board upon which the live rat is stuck and to be thrown away, essentially leaving the animal to die of starvation.

The Empangeni SPCA experimented with a rat glue board and drew the conclusion that, once an animal is stuck, it has no way of freeing itself.

During the experiment, a former SPCA staff member laid his forearm on the trap and allowed it to settle for 10 seconds as per the instructions.

This rendered his arm unmovable, stuck fast to the board. Much help was needed to remove it..

‘The SPCA has found many species of animals on these glue boards, including kittens, puppies, rats, snakes, frogs and geckos,’ said Empangeni SPCA Chairperson, Cheryl Whittaker.

‘We would like to remind the public to explain to shop managers the inhumane use of these traps and ask that they remove them or do not order them,’ said Whittaker.

‘The sale of these glue traps is not illegal until a person uses it and an animal is caught and not correctly dealt with.

‘There are humane rodent traps which should be used, as putting down rat poison causes secondary poisoning in birds like owls and raptors that feed on dead rats.’