Activist Stewart David Says Home Improvement Giant Misleads Consumers About Suffering of Animals Who Become Stuck in Glue Traps

For Immediate Release:
May 21, 2009

Contact:
Lindsay Rajt 757-622-7382

Asheville, N.C. -- This morning, Asheville resident and PETA member Stewart David sent a letter to North Carolina Senior Deputy Attorney General Julie Brill asking her to open an investigation into deceptive statements made by Mooresville-based Lowe's regarding the properties of the glue traps it sells. Lowe's falsely claims that the eugenol contained in glue traps makes them less harmful to the animals who become stuck in them because of an alleged anesthetic effect that the chemical has on the captured animals. Eugenol has no such anesthetic effect when used in a glue trap.

Glue traps are pieces of plastic or cardboard that are coated with an adhesive. Trapped animals suffer when their skin, fur, and feathers are ripped off their bodies as they struggle to escape. Some animals even chew off their own limbs in a desperate attempt to free themselves, often getting their faces stuck in the glue. They might suffer for days and eventually die of suffocation or dehydration. Birds and small household animals such as hamsters and kittens can also become stuck in glue traps, which are not only cruel but also ineffective. The only effective, long-term way to control small-animal populations in a given area is to modify the area to make it unattractive or inaccessible to the animals.

"Glue traps cause immeasurable suffering to the animals who get caught and die in them," says David. "Consumers expect the truth about the products they buy, and Lowe's is misleading customers by saying that eugenol reduces suffering for animals stuck in glue traps. I'm calling on the attorney general to order Lowe's to stop making false claims."

Even though it was shown graphic evidence of the immense suffering that glue traps cause, Lowe's -- unlike many major retailers, including Walgreen's, CVS, Rite Aid, Albertsons, and Safeway -- continues to sell these cruel devices.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.