Victory! LightInTheBox Bans Sale of Deadly Glue Traps Following Outreach From PETA

For Immediate Release:
April 3, 2024

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Portland, Ore. –

After learning from PETA that small animals caught on glue traps can suffer for days—tearing their flesh, breaking bones, and even trying to chew off limbs in an attempt to escape—LightInTheBox, a global online retailer with U.S. headquarters in Portland, has banned the cruel devices from its site. In thanks, PETA is sending the company delicious vegan chocolates.

A mouse stuck on a glue trap. Credit: PETA

“LightInTheBox did the right thing by banning glue traps, which subject small, vulnerable animals to a terrifying and agonizing death as they try to free themselves from the body-gripping glue,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA will continue to call on other retailers to join the growing list of companies that have pledged to ban these vile devices.”

Wildlife—including birds, snakes, mice, rats, and squirrels—who get stuck in the adhesive that covers glue traps struggle desperately to escape, sometimes chewing off their own limbs before succumbing to shock, dehydration, asphyxiation, or blood loss. Glue traps fail as a long-term solution because they neglect 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.

Cities and regions around the world, most recently Ojai and West Hollywood, California, as well as major companies including CVS, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Rite Aid, Target, and Walgreens have banned glue traps after hearing from PETA. The group is now urging The Home Depot to follow suit.

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 the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.