Commission brands glue traps ‘ineffective and gruesome,’ votes to recommend a ban

The Austin Animal Advisory Commission unanimously voted Monday to recommend that the city of Austin ban the purchase and use of glue traps in all city-owned and city-managed facilities. 

The commission’s recommendation was rooted in concerns about the inhumane and unsanitary nature of the traps. They noted that the traps indiscriminately and inhumanely target wildlife, and also present a public health hazard. 

“This is an ineffective and gruesome practice that the city currently has with using glue traps, and I would love to see us eliminate it,” Commissioner Whitney Holt said. 

Glue traps come in various forms, but they often consist of a tray that is coated in a sticky adhesive that is designed to trap animals. When a small animal comes in contact with the trap, they become stuck in the sticky surface, often dying over the course of multiple days from starvation, distress or exhaustion. Some glue traps also include bait to attract animals to the adhesive tray. 

“Animals caught in glue traps suffer intensely, sometimes for days, before dying,” Naomi Silverman with World Animal Protection said. “The glue rips off their skin and feathers leaving them to bleed, starve or suffocate to death.” 

“Glue traps are unnecessarily cruel, they cause what amounts to torture to all manner of living things from insects to mammals of all kinds,” said Dianne Odegard, co-founder of Austin Bat Refuge. 

While glue traps may be designed to capture rodents, they just as often harm other species outside of their intended targets, such as songbirds.  

“In addition to being unimaginably cruel and causing prolonged suffering to animals, the glue traps are also indiscriminate, ensnaring any small animal who wanders across or lands on its surface,” said Kristin Dunn with the Travis Audubon Society. “Over the past decade, the Wildlife Center of Virginia has collected data from wildlife rehabilitators documenting 179 different species ensnared on glue traps. Among them, nearly 100 species of bird have been documented on glue traps, many of which are protected under the Migratory Bird Act.” 

Dunn confirmed that all forms of glue traps, including those designed to trap insects, can harm birds, bats and other wildlife. 

“Glue traps are widely considered one of the cruelest wildlife control products on the market,” Dunn said. “They are also regarded as ineffective.”  

The commission’s recommendation also urged the city to explore alternatives that offer more effective and healthier pest-control solutions. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises against using glue traps because they terrify animals that get caught in them, causing them to defecate and urinate, potentially spreading pathogens and diseases in the vicinity of the trap.

“The CDC has weighed in on this issue warning against the use of glue traps due to the health risks they pose to humans,” said Francesca Chillino with the Texas Humane Legislation Network. “The potential health implications from using glue traps are significant for our community, making the case for a ban even more pressing.” 

“There are a lot of alternatives that exist. Even if the city decides to continue using lethal control for rodents, there are other more humane versions,” Commissioner Ann Linder said.

Snap traps are considered more effective and humane, as they kill instantly. Some cities are using a newer product called ContraPest that lowers the rat population permanently by rendering the rodents infertile.

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