SINGAPORE – Glue traps – which are commonly used to get rid of rats and lizards – tend to ensnare local wildlife, and a quarter of the animals rescued since 2014 are protected species, including kingfishers, bats and civets.

While the immobilising glue causes prolonged suffering and distress to the animals, fewer than one in five people here is aware of the ill effects of glue traps, a survey conducted by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) has found.

Between 2014 and 2023, about 1,910 trapped wild animals were rescued by Acres, which noted that the number of victims could be higher after accounting for reports handled by other animal welfare organisations and vet clinics, as well as unreported cases.

Glue traps are boards or trays of varying sizes that are coated with a strong adhesive to trap pests. They are used in places such as homes, workplace compounds and industrial areas. Glue boards and cans of anti-pest glue are sold online and in hardware stores.

Of the 1,000 respondents surveyed in late 2023, 61 per cent would discard live rats caught in the glue boards. If wildlife were caught, close to half of the respondents said they would dump the animals, and only 10 per cent of the 1,000 people would alert animal welfare societies or the National Parks Board (NParks).

“Animals caught in glue traps endure agonising deaths through starvation, dehydration, and suffocation. Even those rescued face a gruelling recovery process, often succumbing to their injuries or requiring extensive medical intervention,” said Acres on May 7, making a renewed call for glue traps to be regulated here.

The glue tears off fur or feathers as the animals struggle to get free. Some may even break bones or chew through their limbs to escape.

Of the animals rescued since 2014, a quarter of them were protected species, such as kingfishers, tree shrews, owls, song birds, bats, snakes, civets and monitor lizards.

Rehabilitation of the injured animals requires up to five months, as it takes time for the skin to heal and feathers to regrow. Birds like raptors and kingfishers need to be fully healed before they can hunt and fly, said Acres.

There is currently no ban or regulation on the sale and use of glue traps, said Acres.

Places such as Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Victoria in Australia have banned glue traps.

According to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) rat control guidelines, glue boards should be placed in areas which are inaccessible and remote, especially from stray animals.

If used in an open area, an appropriate cover must be used over the glue board to prevent trapping wildlife.

Although pest control companies have to adhere to these guidelines, only 26 per cent of the respondents said they hired such companies when faced with rat infestations, according to the survey done in collaboration with marketing consultancy Antzworkz Consultants and market research firm Rakuten Insight Global.

In early 2023, NParks said it was working with NEA and the Singapore Pest Management Association to look into how the use of glue traps can be avoided in some situations and mitigated in others, and was revising guidelines to achieve this.

In the meantime, Acres said it will continue reaching out to government agencies and the pest control sector on regulating the use of glue traps and ending the public’s access to them.

The society reiterated that such traps will not solve the root problem of pest infestation.

“Better waste management and responsible civic attitudes, such as refraining from littering, coupled with prompt and effective enforcement, will go a long way in the management of pests,” said Acres.