Bunnings make change over 'evil' wildlife product
With persistent wildlife advocacy and an online petition of over 90,000 signatures, the retailer has finally taken action.
Mounting pressure on Bunnings to stop selling animal glue traps has proven effective, with the retailer confirming to Yahoo News Australia they will begin a "phase-out" after more bats fell victim to the "evil" products.
Previous reports from Yahoo shone a light on the threat such products pose to animals and a charge.org petition was created to urge Bunnings to stop selling all glue traps in their stores and online.
According to the petition, which has over 90,000 signatures, "horrific pain and suffering" is inflicted on animals that come in contact with these products. A wide range of creatures, such as birds and reptiles, can become the unintended target of these non-discriminative products.
More wildlife succumb to 'evil' products
A WIRES volunteer told Yahoo this week she was recently involved in two bat rescues in two weeks when they were caught in traps intended to rid homeowners' plants of flies, with one sharing a bat was found in her garden the very same night she put up the flypaper.
Even when the bat successfully freed itself, the glue stuck to its wings and body and the animal ended up cemented onto its next location as it tried to move on. On the 32 degree day, the bat was stuck to a metal pole.
"It would have slowly cooked if she hadn't happened to go out of the back door," WIRES volunteer Clare said, explaining an "awful death" would have eventuated without interference.
Not only do animals need to physically remove themselves from glue traps, they also have to contend with the glue being stuck to their body and subsequently getting stuck to the next thing they make contact with. The "sticky and toxic" glue can also kill animals if ingested, posing a further threat.
Alarmingly, the other bat rescued by Clare "tried to chew its wing off" in a desperate attempt to escape, however, thankfully both survived.
Bunnings plans to get rid of some animal trap products
When contacted last year, the General Manager of Merchandise Adrian Pearce told Yahoo that Bunnings were aware of the petition and were working with suppliers to ensure correct use instructions were included in packaging to help combat threats to wildlife.
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In addition to this practice, which is still in place according to Mr Pearce, he has now confirmed two glue trap products will be "phased-out" by Bunnings, as well as their refill packs, with the specific product responsible for trapping the bat rescued by Clare in the firing line.
"We have moved to phase-out The Buzz Fly Papers Insect Trap, the Trappit Sticky Insect Trap, and The Buzz Outdoor Insect Catcher Refill packs," Mr Pearce told Yahoo.
It is unclear how long this process will take, however, the retailer has blocked the products from being sold online — now only available in store until stock runs out. Going forward, only a limited number of glue traps will be available for purchase.
"All other sticky trap products we sell are small in size and for indoor use only, and the product packaging clearly reflects this," Mr Pearce said.
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