Update: VICTORY! Mackenzie’s Home Timber and Hardware Drops Cruel Glue Traps!
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Following a campaign by PETA Australia, which included letters and calls from activists, Mackenzie’s Home Timber and Hardware has followed the lead of its parent company, Danks, and stopped selling the sticky death traps.
As a result, fewer animals will suffer lingering, painful deaths on glue traps. Thanks to all the activists who contacted the store and helped make this victory possible.
A glue trap is a cruel device consisting of a piece of cardboard or plastic that is coated with a sticky adhesive. Indiscriminate in their torture, they trap any animal unlucky enough to wander across their path. Snakes, lizards, marsupials and even kittens can be among the unfortunate victims of glue traps.
PETA Asia-Pacific and PETA Australia have asked hardware stores around Australia about their policies regarding glue traps. Most hardware stores, including Bunnings, Big W and Kmart, have confirmed that they do not stock these inhumane devices.
Con Dekazos, general manager wholesale of Home Hardware’s controlling company, Danks, wrote to all the stores after PETA Australia contacted him strongly recommending that group retailers discontinue the sale of these devices. But despite this request, Mackenzie’s Home Timber & Hardware in Goondiwindi, Queensland, is still selling glue traps.
The Australian Bureau of Animal Welfare has reported that “the use of glue traps raises serious animal welfare concerns”, and Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory have all banned them for public use.
This distressing video demonstrates how animals who become trapped in the adhesive can suffer terribly as they struggle desperately for their lives. Animals may tear their flesh, break bones, chew off their own limbs and become still more entangled in the adhesive, only to die exhausted, frightened and injured from shock, dehydration, asphyxiation or blood loss. Research shows that death sometimes takes more than 24 hours.
Not only are glue traps cruel, they are also an ineffective way of keeping rodents out of your home, as they do not deter the animals from entering in the first place. Preventative measures combined with non-lethal traps when necessary are much more effective and humane than resorting to violence against these gentle animals.
If you want to help, you can call or write to Mackenzie’s Home Timber & Hardware in Goondiwindi at clive@machardware.com.au or on (07) 4671 4033 and politely ask the store to take glue traps off its shelves. You can also check out your local hardware stores and, if you see glue traps for sale, speak up for the animals by asking the store manager to remove them and stock only humane live traps instead.
Posted by Claire Fryer
Alesha Verity commented: 1-4-2013 at 4:31 PM
I have just sent Mackenzie’s Home Timber and Hardware an email, urging them to please remove the Glue Traps from their shelves and to stop selling them.
It’s a small action that we can all take 2 minutes out of our day to do to help prevent the unnecessary suffering of animals.
Elisa Clara commented: 1-14-2013 at 1:30 PM
Please stop selling this cruel glue device which is catching many small ceatures which are actually protected dying in such a slow cruel way.
Jacinta commented: 1-23-2013 at 5:27 PM
That is disgusting , STOP SELLING GLUE TRAPS!
Jason Rayner commented: 1-24-2013 at 10:01 AM
Hi, I’d just like to let everyone know that Mackenzies stopped selling this product early in 2012.
Robert Frith commented: 1-31-2013 at 1:44 PM
I sent Clive a short polite email this morning; “please stop stocking and selling inhumane glue traps.”
He replied; “I have along time ago….check your facts”
ashleyf commented: 1-31-2013 at 1:48 PM
Robert, thank you for that! We are confirming this now. Before we posted this blog, this branch of Home Timber & Hardware was stocking the cruel traps, but we’d be thrilled if they have stopped.
Henry Leschen commented: 1-31-2013 at 3:03 PM
Dear Mr Con Dekazos,
I am an animal lover and am appalled and disgusted that the Goondawindi manager of Mackenzies Home Timber and Hardware has not stopped selling Glue traps which cruelly injure animals including small kittens and leave them to suffer terribly;until they die.
You have done a very courageos and moral thing in attempting to stop this cruel practice and we both know that the Australian Bureau of Animal Welfare are most concerned.
Do you have both the authority and power to sack whoever is responsible at the Goondawindi store in Queensland for failing to obey your directive? I know that if I found any employee of my chain of store failing to take notice of my concerned and moral objection to such cruelty I would sack him/ her in front of all the stores employees in Goondawindi and make an example of such a cruel manager who puts profit above responsibility and moral behaviour.
Thank you for taking the stand that you have sir.
Yours faithfully,
Henry Leschen
Matt dale commented: 1-31-2013 at 4:41 PM
I’m a tradie, I won’t be shopping here!
Boyd Hore commented: 1-31-2013 at 7:09 PM
This is just so wrong .
Carolyn Cribb commented: 1-31-2013 at 7:09 PM
STOP USING THE GLUE TRAPS – THEY ARE DESPICABLE AND CRUEL