(KTLA) – The Ojai City Council in California unanimously voted to permanently ban the sale and use of glue traps in their community.

Ojai, which became the first American city to recognize the legal rights of nonhuman animals last September, believes glue traps, which are primarily used to trap and kill rodents, can pose a risk for species that the traps are not intended for.

“Glue traps are commonly used for rodents, however PETA states that these traps have been used to capture other wildlife such as birds, snakes and squirrels,” the ordinance introducing the ban stated. “Furthermore, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control [and Prevention] warns against the use of glue traps due to potentially producing harmful health impacts as the trapped animals produce urine and feces.”

Veterinarians treat a Picogordo bird and clean its wings from glue after it got trapped in an illegal trap at GREFA hospital on March 16, 2017, in Majadahonda, near Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

The types of traps now outlawed in Ojai are described by officials as “extremely cruel and painful” even though they are regularly used in homes, food service establishments and by pest management companies.

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“While the larger glue traps designed to capture vertebrate animals … tend to be the most problematic due the increased likelihood to capture larger animals or multiple animals, smaller glue traps designed to capture animals such as ants, flies, insects and cockroaches present similar dangers,” Ojai city officials said. “Therefore, all glue traps, regardless of their size or intended victim, pose animal welfare and health concerns.”

Several alternatives to glue traps include snap traps and electric traps, both of which have a higher chance of killing the rodent instantly, city officials said. Live traps, also known as catch-and-release traps, are a way of safely capturing an animal and releasing it somewhere else.

The movement to ban glue traps has grown in the United States and across the world. West Hollywood became the first city in the nation to ban glue traps in April 2023, and according to PETA, three American cities have reportedly banned glue traps within their internal operations: Cartersville, Georgia; Eugene, Oregon; and Washington D.C.

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Similar bills were introduced in New York and Massachusetts during the 2021-2022 Legislative Session, but neither passed.

On an international level, England, Iceland, Ireland and New Zealand have also reportedly banned the use of glue traps, Ojai officials say.