An Inverness pet shop has come under fire for using controversial rodent traps inside its store after a bird was severely injured by one.
Shopper Lisa Harvey said she was “horrified” at the sight of the suffering animal as it frantically tried to escape a glue board snare in Pets at Home at the city’s retail park.
A company spokesman said they were “distressed” to learn about the incident and that pest controllers contracted by the firm had used the traps without its authorisation.
One animal charity called for a ban on the devices.
Miss Harvey said she was “disgusted” to discover that such devices were being used at all in a pet store and labelled it “inhumane”.
The 28-year-old was in the shop on Friday when she heard a “flapping sound” from underneath a shelf on the floor.
She said: “We pulled it out and the bird was making some horrific noises. The whole tail was ripped off and it was missing a leg and one of its wings, and it was still flapping with the other wing.
“I did not even know that these kinds of traps existed. It’s disgusting for animals in general, not just birds.”
Miss Harvey put the bird in a cardboard box, but said staff did not appear to be “too fussed” by what had happened.
The Tain woman emailed the boss of Pets at Home on Saturday to complain, and was told the bird is alive and making a recovery.
Last night, Mimi Bekhechi, director of International Programmes at PETA, said: “We believe that the hideously cruel use of glue traps may violate the Animal Welfare Act 2006, under which it’s illegal to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal, and we urge Pets at Home to implement a formal policy banning their use immediately.
“Animals who get stuck in these traps face a slow and miserable death from dehydration, starvation, or self-mutilation, and many have been known to chew through or tear off their own limbs in a desperate attempt to escape. Whether they’re mice, rats, birds, or dogs – or shop owners, for that matter – all living beings experience pain and fear, and none should endure the gruesome death that these barbaric devices dispense.”
SSPCA Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said: “We have received a call regarding an animal trap in Inverness and are investigating.”
The Pets at Home spokesman stressed that glue boards are used only as a “last resort” under national guidelines which allow pest controllers with advanced training to use them effectively and humanely.
He added: “We were all distressed to learn of this incident. In common with all retailers we take steps to protect our premises from mice and other common pests. This is a legal requirement. With the current measures in place to control the spread of avian flu we have to be especially alert to the risk of cross contamination from any wild birds that find their way into a store. As a pet shop we are particularly sensitive to these risks and have engaged one of the leading specialists to provide these services.
“Our contract deals with all aspects of prevention and control, including the methods used, the qualifications of the technicians and the operating practices to be followed. Glue boards are only used when other methods have been considered inappropriate or have failed. The humane use of glue boards is the legal responsibility of the pest controller. We are extremely concerned to learn that, in this isolated incident, glue boards were used without authorisation and we are investigating this breach of protocol with our contractor.”
