Agoura Hills Bans Glue Traps, Recognizes Animal Rights After PETA Push

For Immediate Release:
October 14, 2026

Contact:
Alex Payne 202-483-7382

Following close collaboration with PETA, the Agoura Hills City Council voted tonight to outlaw glue traps, which can leave trapped animals suffering for days before dying, making Agoura Hills the sixth U.S. city to prohibit the use and sale of the cruel devices. The historic ordinance opens by declaring, “The Agoura Hills City Council recognizes animal rights to prevent unnecessary suffering due to glue traps.”

The ban comes amid mounting evidence of the devastating toll glue traps take on wildlife: the California Wildlife Center, a local wildlife rehabilitation organization, has treated animals from a staggering 35 different species who were caught on glue traps and in need of lifesaving care. The devices ensnare mice, rats, birds, and other small animals, who get stuck in the adhesive and struggle desperately to escape, sometimes chewing off their own limbs before succumbing to starvation, dehydration, asphyxiation, or blood loss. Glue traps also fail as a long-term solution because they don’t address what attracts animals in the first place: As long as food remains accessible and entry points remain unsealed, more animals will move in to take the place of those killed.

“Agoura Hills has a proud history of protecting our wildlife, preserving biodiversity, and standing against animal cruelty. This ordinance builds on that tradition by banning the use and sale of glue traps, which are inhumane devices that cause prolonged suffering,” says Mayor Jeremy Wolf. “By taking this step, Agoura Hills is protecting public health, preventing unnecessary suffering, and reaffirming our commitment to the wildlife and natural environment that make our community so special.”

“As the city home to the largest urban wildlife crossing in the country, our community deeply values coexistence with the amazing animals who live here alongside us,” says Mayor Pro Tem Deborah Klein Lopez. “This glue trap ban will protect birds, lizards, mice, and other animals from suffering while encouraging humane approaches that address why animals enter homes and businesses in the first place. No matter the circumstance, cruelty to animals is never the answer.”

“By recognizing animal rights and banning glue traps, Agoura Hills has made a momentous decision to protect the smallest members of its community from slow, painful, and terrifying deaths,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA celebrates the City Council members who made this ban possible and urges the community to use PETA’s tips for living in harmony with mice and rats.”

Both 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. 

Agoura Hills joins Culver City, Laguna Beach, Ojai, Ventura, and West Hollywood, California, in banning glue traps. PETA’s campaign against the cruel devices has also prompted major retailers—including CVS, Target, Walgreens, Dollar General, and Dollar Tree—to stop selling them. Glue traps are also banned in England, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales, and throughout much of Australia, Belgium, and India.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.