West Hollywood is First in the Nation to Ban Deadly Glue Traps

On Monday, April 17, 2023, during a regularly scheduled West Hollywood City Council meeting, the City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance banning the sale and use of glue traps in the City of West Hollywood. This anti cruelty measure is the first in the United States to ban the sale and use of glue traps and is consistent with the City’s progressive animal welfare policies. The Ordinance will go into effect next year.

Glue traps have long been recognized worldwide to be cruel and indiscriminate. They are intended to attract rodents, insects, and vermin; however, they frequently trap other animals, including rabbits, opossums, and even companion animals such as dogs and cats. It is not uncommon for birds, attracted by insects caught in devices, to also become unintended victims of the traps.

“The City of West Hollywood has always been a leader on issues related to animal welfare,” said City of West Hollywood Councilmember Lauren Meister. “My council colleagues and I enthusiastically adopted this ordinance to prohibit the use and sale of glue traps within the City because these devices are sadistic and cruel.  As a compassionate and progressive city, it is incumbent on us to find more humane alternatives to rodent and pest control.”

“By keeping cruel glue traps out, WeHo is a trailblazer for vulnerable little animals,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman via press release. “PETA thanks city officials for protecting animals from horrific cruelty and urges lawmakers across the country to follow their lead.”

The primary goal of a glue trap is to entrap rodents or other pests when they cross the board since their feet and bodies stick to the adhesive.  The animals are then incapable of freeing themselves and slowly other parts of their bodies get stuck to the trap, or they suffer from starvation, dehydration, or suffocation.  After several days or weeks, the animal dies, but the process is extremely cruel, painful and subjects the animal to a slow and inhumane death.

According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), these traps have been used to capture other wildlife including birds, snakes, and squirrels.  PETA reports there are numerous reports of cats becoming stuck in glue traps and requiring veterinary assistance.  Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns against using glue traps as trapped animals produce urine and feces, which may have harmful human health impacts.

The City of West Hollywood has been on the forefront of animal rights and protections for decades and the City’s commitment to animal rights is one of its legacies. The City has consistently worked to enact leading-edge animal welfare legislation:

• in 1989, the West Hollywood City Council passed a Resolution 558 making West Hollywood a “Cruelty Free Zone” for animals. This action was then followed by West Hollywood’s move to secure animal care service policies that included a no-kill policy for stray and abandoned animals. The City also focused its efforts on raising awareness about the availability of thousands of abandoned animals at shelters waiting to be adopted, even sponsoring local adoption fairs at our City parks—a tradition that continues to this day,
• in 2004, the West Hollywood City Council passed an Ordinance to ban the practice of declawing cats, thereby making West Hollywood the first City in North America to ban this procedure,
• in 2008, the City of West Hollywood adopted a Resolution supporting Proposition 2, which led to a statewide standard in the caging of chickens,
• in 2009, the West Hollywood City Council took a stand against puppy-mills and the sale of dogs in local stores that came from such mills, and
• in 2011, the West Hollywood City Council passed an Ordinance prohibiting the sale of fur established that it is “unlawful to sell, offer for sale, display for sale, import, export, trade, or distribute any fur product by any means anywhere within the City of West Hollywood on or after September 21, 2013.”