Glue traps are devices designed to kill rodents and other pests. They come in a variety of sizes and consist of a flat surface covered in non-drying, non-toxic glue. They are marketed as an effective and clean option for removing pests from your home. However, they are inhumane devices that indiscriminately trap whatever animal is unfortunate enough to cross them. The glue does not kill the animal, instead it holds them in place, rendering them unable to escape. The animal slowly dies of starvation, dehydration, stress, or suffocation. This process can take days. The animal will try anything they can to escape the glue traps- ripping out feathers and fur, fracturing, and even biting through their own limbs to escape. Their panicked attempts to flee often further entrap them in the glue. At CWC we receive all kinds of wildlife stuck in glue traps. Some patients we can safely remove and rehabilitate, while others have injured themselves to the point that they cannot be saved.

One such patient we received was a Great Horned Owl. This owl was left at the North Central Animal Shelter in Los Angeles and was transported to CWC by one of our dedicated volunteers. The patient arrived with extensive glue contamination over much of their body. Both wings had large amounts of glue on them which stuck all the feathers together and then stuck those feathers to their body. Both legs had thick wads of glue on the lower halves that were also stuck to the tail feathers. While too large to be held down by the weight of the trap, the extensive contamination of the wings and tail meant the bird could no longer fly. An owl who cannot fly cannot find food, shelter, or escape predators. Even though the traps had been removed, this amount of glue contamination meant that the animal would not survive in the wild. The shelter had very little information about this patient, but what we suspect occurred was that the owl saw a rodent or other small animal struggling on a glue trap and swooped down for what they thought was an easy meal. Instead, they got covered in glue. Even large predators can be victims of these traps.