Animal rights organisation, Beauty Without Cruelty SA (BWC), has called for an end to the suffering of mice through the use of glue traps that are sold at local retailers in the Western Cape.
This comes after the glue traps were found on sale at a popular retailer in Fish Hoek.
The matter has since been reported to the Cape of Good Hope SPCA.
BWC chairperson, Toni Brockhoven, said they were raising awareness about the potential legal implications under the Animal Protection Act, and that the core of their campaign was about ending extreme and unnecessary suffering caused by the glue traps.
"These glue traps are not just cruel; they are indiscriminate instruments of suffering.
"It’s not just rats and mice who get caught—wild birds, kittens, and other small animals fall victim too,” she said.
“The sheer brutality of these traps is undeniable, animals experience prolonged agony.
"The potential for immense suffering is guaranteed by the sale of these cruel traps.
“No store should be profiting from pain.
"All we are asking is for Food Zone to do the right thing and remove these from their shelves immediately.
"The law is clear, the ethics are clearer, and we will not stand by while businesses knowingly sell cruelty."
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA’s Belinda Abraham confirmed they were aware of the issue.
“The Cape of Good Hope SPCA is opposed to the manufacture, sale and use of all snares and any trap or trapping device or substance or form of animal control which causes or may cause suffering,” she said.
“It is our opinion that the use of rodent glue traps may constitute a contravention in terms of the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962.
“The Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962 protects any animal, including rodents, that are in captivity or under the control of any person.
“Once an animal is caught in a glue trap, then the animal is considered ‘under the control of any person’ and as such the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962 will apply.
“Sadly, these traps are openly available to the public through hardware stores, garden centres and other retailers.
“We will then write to the retailer and ask them to stop selling glue traps, remove all glue traps from their stock and avoid re-stocking them in the future – to prevent the problem from reoccurring.”
She added that the SPCA was educating retailers and stockists and that most agreed to remove the products from their shelves.
“In September 2022, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA wrote to the City of Cape Town to request that the Animal Keeping By-Law be amended to include the prohibition of the sale of glue traps by any person or store within the City of Cape Town, amendments are under way and our Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse is part of the review committee,” she said.
The retailer, whose name is known to the Cape Argus, was contacted for comment but they did not respond to emails at the time of publication.
Cape Argus