I have dedicated my life to rescuing, rehabilitating, fostering, and adopting animals, a cause that is not just a passion but a profound obligation to the welfare of living beings. However, as someone who works in a store that uses glue traps, I am confronted daily with the ethical dilemma these implements of cruelty present. Glue traps, despite their appearance as simple pest control devices, are amongst the most inhumane methods of capturing living creatures.

Imagine the terror and agony a small animal experiences as they find themselves ensnared, completely immobilized and unable to escape. Hours turn into days as the animal suffers from mutilation, extreme stress, and eventually, starvation. It's not just rodents who fall victim to these traps; non-target animals—such as birds, reptiles, or other small mammals—often meet the same gruesome fate. Animals gnaw off their limbs, or their faces get stuck, leading to a horrifying death. This is not pest control; this is a crime against life itself.

Up to 100 million animals are trapped and killed in glue traps every year in the United States alone. This staggering number signals not only a grave moral failing but a testament to how we've prioritized convenience over compassion. Several countries and jurisdictions have already recognized the cruelty inherent in glue traps and have banned them. In the UK, for instance, the House of Commons is considering legislation to ban glue traps entirely.

We have humane alternatives available, such as electronic traps that deliver quick, humane deaths, or live traps that allow for the catch-and-release of creatures. As we've seen in areas that have switched to these methods, wildlife strikes can be managed efficiently without compromising our humanity.

I am calling on local and national lawmakers to act immediately to ban the sale and use of glue traps nationwide. We owe it to the animals that share our spaces to treat them with dignity and respect. We cannot allow convenience and outdated methods to dictate our norms. Please, join me in advocating for a kinder, more humane approach to pest control.

Sign this petition to urge our lawmakers to include compassion in our legal systems and abolish the use and sale of glue traps, replacing them with humane alternatives that reflect our values and the world we want to live in.