New South Wales (NSW) in Australia is being in the grip of one of the worst plagues in decades and started being reported around mid-March.
- In some places, residents of affected areas reported mice falling out from roof tops causing “mice rain”.
- As a result of the “rampaging mice”, some farmers lost entire grain harvests “while hotels have had to close because they can’t keep the critters out of the rooms.
- To control the plague, the government has now authorised the use of an otherwise outlawed poison called bromadiolone.
Causes
- Scientists attribute the plague to an unusually abundant grain harvest, which caused a surplus of mice earlier in the season.
- Mice have a short breeding cycle (a pair of breeding mice can give birth to a new litter every 21 days or so) and are not very choosy about food.
Effects
- Rodents are capable of destroying food grains and can cause widespread damage to domestic households, commercial businesses, farms, manufacturers and livestock.
- Rodents can not only gnaw through materials but can also ruin supplies by excreting on them. Rodents can also cause diseases such as leptospirosis and typhus fever.
- Rodents can also carry fleas or ticks that can harm pets and humans.
(Source: Indian Express)
