Victory! Ann Arbor Becomes First Midwest City to Ban Glue Traps Following PETA Push

For Immediate Release:
October 19, 2026

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

After hearing from PETA, local wildlife rehabilitators, and animal advocates about the needless suffering glue traps inflict on small animals, the Ann Arbor City Council voted unanimously tonight to ban the use and sale of the devices citywide. In what is set to become a nationwide trend, this historic move makes Ann Arbor the first U.S. city outside California—and the seventh nationwide—to prohibit these incredibly cruel devices.

Any animal small enough to become ensnared by the sticky adhesive on glue traps—including mice, rats, birds, chipmunks, lizards, squirrels and occasionally even escaped house “pets” like hamsters and guinea pigs—can suffer for days before dying of starvation, dehydration, or blood loss, all while panicking as they become mired in the glue. As they struggle to free themselves, animals rip off chunks of their fur, feathers, or skin, and some will even chew through a limb in a desperate attempt to escape. Although most animals die without being rescued, just since May of 2025, the Bird Center of Michigan reports treating 17 birds for glue trap injuries. Glue traps are also ineffective for rodent control as they fail to address the source of the problem: as long as food remains accessible, more animals will move in to take the place of those who have been killed.

“Ann Arbor’s ban puts it at the forefront of a growing nationwide movement to protect small animals from the agony of suffering slow, terrifying deaths on these animal torture devices,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is celebrating the City Council’s compassionate leadership and calling on everyone to keep unwanted visitors away humanely by sealing entry points, removing food sources, and never using cruel glue traps.”

Mice and rats are highly social animals who become attached to each other and love their own families. Male mice and rats woo their mates with high-pitched love songs that are inaudible to the human ear. Mice live in family groups, play together, and enjoy sleeping curled up with their social partners.

Hundreds of companies and entities, as well as countries including England, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales; parts of Australia and Belgium; 32 states and union territories in India; and six cities in California have all banned glue traps.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—has helpful tips on its website for living in harmony with wildlife and points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a rat is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.