The Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) is working against the sale of illegal
snake glue traps.
Thousands of them have already been sold across the
country and pose a serious danger to the animals.
Snakes are defined in
Israel as a protected animal by law, and therefore the INPA has demanded that
the importer of the traps immediately remove the products from the market and
collect them from store shelves around the country.
Such traps have been
illegal in Israel since 1955 because they can cause serious harm to the animals,
according to the authority. In addition to recalling their products, authority
staff members have been speaking with snake trappers and discouraging them from
using the already purchased instruments.
Eldad Peled, INPA director of
inspection and enforcement, stressed that all harm to protected wildlife such as
snakes is prohibited by law.
“Catching snakes requires great skill, both
in the method of the capture – so that no damage occurs to the snake – and in
the treatment of the animal after the capture,” Peled said.
“An
authorized snake trapper knows that he must transfer the snake to the authority
and that our inspectors release the snake into nature. The glue traps sold
recently in Israel harm the snake during the time of the capture, and therefore
we are acting aggressively against their sale,” he said.
In response, the
importer has agreed to stop sales and said that it would work vigorously to
collect all traps still on the shelves, according to the INPA.