No one wants stray or wild animals digging through their trash, especially if they leave a mess behind after digging through it.
With that said, they are just trying to survive. Making that survival even harder is inhumane.
Elmer’s rescue
A black kitten who was no more than a few weeks old was spotted on the streets with something odd stuck to his side. It was a glue trap. According to the person who found him, Elmer was disoriented and in shock.
The good Samaritan quickly took Elmer to the Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) to see if they could do something to help him out. It took some time, but Brittany, Megan, and Caitlin (Caregivers at HAWS) were able to get the trap off Elmer’s body without harming him. They then used lots of soap and oil to get the glue out of his fur and paws.
Surprisingly, throughout the whole process of trying to clean him and set him free, Elmer remained calm and behaved as if he knew they were trying to save him.
And his recovery
To help Elmer recover from the whole ordeal, he was assigned a foster family to live with for a few weeks. Unlike some cats, Elmer likes to snuggle. They discovered that f you cradle him like a child, he’ll start purring and fall asleep.
Things are looking up
In the weeks he spent with his new foster humans, he regained all his strength and grew out his lovely velvety smooth black coat. Once he was ready for adoption, it didn’t take more than a few minutes of HAWS being open for someone to show real interest in adopting Elmer.
The waiting list for the chance to adopt him has since grown longer, making it almost certain that Elmer will find a loving home to take care of him.
The cruelty behind glue traps
First, we can’t deny that these work very effectively. Any rodents or animals that touch these traps won’t be able to get off. That’s why they are so popular. So why are they a problem?
For one, they don’t always catch the right animal. Take the example of Elmer the kitten; he wasn’t the target prey for whoever left this trap out. Sometimes birds and even dogs can fall prey to these. Getting them unstuck isn’t easy either.
The worst thing about these traps is that many small animals will end up dying in them. There is nothing humane about that. It’s no surprise that countries like New Zealand and Ireland have banned these products. Retailers in Canada are also in the process of removing most of these from their shelves too.
What are the alternatives?
First, use preventive measures to keep these animals away. Sealing gaps where rodents can get through is a great place to start. Rodent deterrent on things that they could potentially chew on (cables, water pipes, etc.) works too. Securing your garbage and compost is also very important.
You can also use live traps to catch and later release these animals without harming them.
There are a lot of options available. Sometimes the first thing we see on the shelf isn’t the best solution, even if it’s something as seemingly harmless as glue.
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