On Monday, NBC Ch. 2 news in Fort Myers aired a story about two birds who were brought to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida after getting caught in glue traps (view the story here). 
One was a baby woodpecker. The director of the Conservancy’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center explained that the bird is lucky to be alive, “His entire right side of his body, and his head, and his jaw were covered in that glue. It only takes one little foot getting stuck in there, or a feather, and you start to get pulled in worse.” A sparrow who is recovering at the clinic suffered the same fate last week.
Glue traps are notoriously indiscriminate, and it is not uncommon to hear of birds, squirrels, lizards, even cats, getting caught in the sticky glue. Of course, the unintended victims of glue traps do not suffer worse than the intended targets. Rats or mice caught in glue traps suffer for days until they finally die of starvation or dehydration.
You Can Help
PETA is campaigning to convince the home improvement store Lowe’s to stop selling glue traps. Several national chains, such as CVS and Albertsons, have removed glue traps from store shelves. Click here to send a message to Lowe’s CEO.