On Wednesday, the Gujarat High Court called for responses from the Gujarat State, its Animal Welfare Board, and the Director of Animal Husbandry following a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging the non-enforcement of the ban on the manufacture, sale, and usage of glue traps. The case, titled Narendrasingh Chattarsinh Rana v Union of India and Ors., highlights the use of glue traps, which are boards coated with adhesive substances designed to ensnare rodents like rats as they traverse floors. Trapped animals often endure prolonged suffering before succumbing.
Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee’s bench underscored the health hazards posed by glue traps, noting that rodents caught in them may transmit hantavirus through their bodily fluids, posing a potential threat to humans. The Court referenced warnings issued by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Canada against the use of glue traps due to the risk of hantavirus transmission.
Advocate Dharmesh C. Gurjar, representing the petitioner, informed the Court that the Gujarat State Animal Welfare Board had issued a circular on September 5 the previous year, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and use of glue traps under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which addresses acts of animal cruelty.
He alleged that no action has been taken thus far, with glue traps still in use across farms and industrial zones. The Court observed that the PIL underscored the cruel treatment inflicted upon various small animals, including rodents, birds, lizards, snakes, bats, and squirrels, due to the continued use of glue traps, which also pose health risks to humans.
Consequently, the Court deemed the matter worthy of consideration and instructed the Additional Government Pleader (AGP) to procure responses from the State government, the Gujarat State Animal Welfare Board, and the Director of Animal Husbandry. The case is scheduled for further hearing on July 5.
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