Gangtok, Jun 30 (IANS): The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (AH & VS) Department of the Sikkim government asked the District Collector (DC) of Gangtok to ensure strict enforcement of the state's 2016 notification prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and use of glue traps for rodent control, officials said on Thursday.

AH & VS Department Secretary P. Senthil Kumar in his letter to the DC said the glue traps, also known as glue boards or sticky types, are a type of non-lethal, extremely sticky with non-dying adhesive currently available in the market for control of rodent population and found to be widely used in grocery shops, restaurants.

It is evident that such a method is not only cruel and barbaric but also contrary to the existing Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

Therefore, AH & VS Department as per the direction of Animal Welfare Board of India, has issued the notification for strict implementation and the Department is making all efforts to implement this ban.

Still these traps are found to be sold in the open market, hence, it would be appreciated if necessary steps are taken to curb the use and ban all such types of traps, Kumar told the DC.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India said that following its appeal, the Sikkim government took the action.

"The manufacturers and sellers of glue traps sentence small animals to hideously slow and painful deaths and can turn buyers into lawbreakers," PETA India said in a statement on Thursday.

It said: "PETA India commends Sikkim for taking steps to protect animals, no matter how small, and for setting an example for the entire country to follow."

Noting that use of glue traps is a punishable offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the PETA India said that usually made of plastic trays or sheets of cardboard covered with strong glue, they are indiscriminate killers, often catching non-target animals -- including birds, squirrels, reptiles, and frogs.