RSPCA rescue starling stuck to a banned glue trap in Sunderland home

RSPCA officers were called to a Sunderland house on Friday, April 22, after the occupant found a bird firmly stuck to a glue trap under his bath.

The trap was put there to specifically catch mice however the RSPCA have branded these traps as “cruel and indiscriminate” and because of this, they are now being banned in England.

Glue traps, otherwise known as “glue boards” or “sticky boards”, consisit of a sheet of plastic, cardboard or wood which is coated with non-drying adhesive designed to trap rodents such as mice and rats as they cross the board.

Thankfully RSPCA animal rescue officer Heather Wade was able to free the starling from the trap before it was too late.

She said: “The poor starling was stuck fast on this horrible glue trap. Most animals don’t survive this, but after I gently separated the poor bird feather by feather from the glue, he miraculously seemed almost unscathed, if a little scruffy so I was able to release him back into the wild.

“Glue traps are vicious and indiscriminate. Though meant to catch rodents, we see non-target animals - from birds to cats - getting stuck on the traps’ powerful glue and as they struggle to free themselves, they often suffer terrible injuries and die.

"My fellow officers and I have repeatedly been left shocked and horrified by the lethal damage wrought on wildlife, pets and other animals by these awful traps and the forthcoming ban on them is not coming a moment too soon.”

The RSPCA has revealed that between 2016 and 2021, 263 incidents have been reported nationwide about the use of glue traps, with 73% of incidents reported to the RSPCA between 2016 and 2020 involved non-target animals.If you see an animal caught in a trap please call the RSPCA's emergency line on 0300 1234 999 however you should never try to free an animal from a snare or trap as you risk hurting yourself and the animal.

In many cases, animals are more seriously injured than they might look, so it is best that they are examined properly to see if they need veterinary treatment.