GLUE PADS (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Env & Eco)

Context: The Delhi government announced directives to ban the manufacture, sale, and use of glue pads which is a common but one of the most cruel methods to kill rodents.

• Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, prohibited the practice after receiving guidance from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) in 2011.

Key Points of Ban Glue Pads

• Rat poison, a commonly used alternative to glue pads, is also one of the most inhuman ways of dealing with rodent infestation. 
• The ban on glue pads serves as a reminder that poisoning rats threaten predators who feed on their carcass but isn’t regulated.
• Rat poison, along with glue strips, was observed to be the worst for ‘rat welfare’ in a January 2023 Oxford University study. 
• “Anticoagulant poisons, which interfere with blood clotting and kill rats through hemorrhaging, can lead to extreme suffering.
• According to Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 91 percent of the birds tested positive for two or more different types of anticoagulant rodenticides, with SGARs brodifacoum, bromadiolone and difethialone found most frequently

Glue Pads

• About: It is a pest control device that uses a strong adhesive to trap rodents, insects, and other small animals. 
• It is typically made of a cardboard or plastic base with a layer of sticky glue applied to the top.
• How it works: When an animal steps on the glue pad, its feet and body become stuck. The animal is then unable to escape, and it eventually dies from dehydration or starvation.