Customers were horrified when they discovered two songbirds stuck to a glue trap at a Walmart store in Indiana. One customer rushed the birds to a wildlife rehabilitator, while another contacted PETA. We alerted law enforcement and Walmart, and Walmart acknowledged that it has a policy against using glue traps for bird control but claimed that the traps had been set for rodents. Glue traps are (obviously) indiscriminate and ensnare any animals who are unfortunate enough to wander across their path, so Walmart removed the traps that had been set in that store.

Many "non-target" animals—including birds, squirrels, gerbils, hamsters, and even kittens—suffer immensely and die in glue traps every year. One tiny kitten in Boston nearly starved to death when she became ensnared in a glue trap. PETA has asked Walmart to stop using these traps in all its stores.

If you know of any local businesses, schools, or property management companies that are using glue traps, urge them remove the traps immediately and contact PETA if they won't.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

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The 4,500-plus songbirds who become temporary inhabitants at Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals wildlife centers will now be receiving free tuition and room and board. According to this BBC story, babies who are taken in for treatment need a chance to learn songs so that they can socialize with their peers once they are released. Because birds learn songs from their parents, growing up at a rehabilitation facility would mean no knowledge of birdsong—until now.

The solution is as simple as a CD recording of birdsong and a small boombox. The babies learn to mimic the songs that they hear in the center, which are real recordings from the wild—exactly what they're supposed to be learning. Upon completed treatment and release (read: graduation from Songbird U.), they're ready to go chat it up with friends and family outside the center, saying such cute things as "Food? Now?" and "Mate? Now?"

I always find it heartwarming to come across very elaborate efforts to care for some wild species, which, for some reason or another, ends up at rehabilitation centers. As contradictory as it may seem given the huge animal industries that exist today, rescue and rehabilitation efforts demonstrate just how much humans are capable of caring for animals—both as individuals and as species.

Posted by Sean Conner