A plague of rats is scuttling across London following a 40 per cent surge in numbers. According to the National Pest Technicians Association, a reduction in rubbish collections, an increase in compost bins, an explosion in the number of discarded fried chicken boxes, and a crumbling sewage system means that the city has become a rat rave party.Last year Londoners were never more than 18 metres away from a rat, but new figures suggest that distance is now 14 metres. In the Vice offices the proximity is more like 1 metre. On Friday night we put down a glue trap and then this morning we made a grisly discovery…We think mommy mouse stumbled across the trap and got stuck. Hearing her screams of terror, the two baby mice scurried over but then got themselves ensnared. There is blood and hair and shit on the trap, but all their little legs are still intact, so we're not exactly sure how they died.We spoke to PETA and asked them for advice on the ethical treatment of vermin.VICE: We killed three mice in a glue trap.
PETA: *Gasps* Oh no!I know. We're sorry.
Glue traps are cruel because they are not designed to kill quickly. Mice who become hopelessly trapped in the sticky glue suffer immensely during the days it takes for them to die of starvation and dehydration. A few of the "luckier" mice get their noses and mouths stuck in the glue and suffocate.
Watch: PETA TV's footage of a rat rescued from a glue trapBut glue traps are not much worse than the other options. Poison traps cause the rat to slowly bleed to death internally. Snap traps are blunt guillotines that seldom kill on impact.
Snap traps are cruel because, in many cases, they fail to catch the animals quickly or on target. When a mouse steps on the snap trap trigger, the trap's jaws slam shut on the animal's fragile limbs. Mice scream and frantically struggle in excruciating pain as the trap cuts into his or her flesh, often down to the bone, mutilating the foot or leg. Some animals, especially mothers desperate to get back to their young, fight so vigorously that they attempt to chew or twist off their trapped limb.You don't even like the live box traps do you?
Live traps often become death traps where mice and rats slowly die of starvation, dehydration, or cannibalism when the traps are not checked regularly.So no traps are ethical?
We don't condone or encourage the murder of animals by any means. However, more humane mouse traps, while not perfect, helps to significantly improve animal welfare.So what kind of trap do you recommend we use in the future?
The Rentokil company has developed a rodent trap called The Radar which humanely euthanizes the captured rodents with carbon dioxide. This high-tech trap immediately alerts the client via e-mail when a rodent has been caught and text-messages a Rentokil technician indicating the precise location of the triggered unit, so that the trap can quickly be emptied and reset.Email-enabled rat traps?
Yes.Hey, is it true you have to take a rat 1 mile away from your home to avoid it returning?
Yes.But if you release rats in urban areas aren't you just passing the problem on to someone else?
Captured rats should be released in an area far from human habitation, at least 1/2 mile from any structure, but where food and shelter are readily available. Be sure to choose the site that's in the best interest of the rats and any nearby property owners. Also, you must release the rat with a full stomach: Remember, the rat has probably had a steady diet in your home and it will take some time for him or her to find another source of food. You can give the rat a head start by feeding him or her just before you release them. If you remove rats during the winter, you should provide temporary shelter for them in a small pile of grass or straw on your property.You're saying we have to shelter and feed the rats? That's asking a bit much isn't it? How about if we get a cat?
The only reason a person should adopt any companion animal is for companionship - not to resolve conflicts with other animals. Like traps and poisons, cats are completely indiscriminate with respect to the prey they pursue.So we have to protect the rats from the cats?
Free-roaming cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians each year. Many people consider free-roaming cats pests. They do not want the cats to urinate, defecate, dig, eat plants, or kill birds on their properties. Free-roaming cats have been shot, poisoned, and stolen by angry neighbours. For these reasons, we strongly discourage people from allowing cats to roam outdoors without supervision.OK, well, thanks.
You're welcome.
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PETA: *Gasps* Oh no!I know. We're sorry.
Glue traps are cruel because they are not designed to kill quickly. Mice who become hopelessly trapped in the sticky glue suffer immensely during the days it takes for them to die of starvation and dehydration. A few of the "luckier" mice get their noses and mouths stuck in the glue and suffocate.
Watch: PETA TV's footage of a rat rescued from a glue trapBut glue traps are not much worse than the other options. Poison traps cause the rat to slowly bleed to death internally. Snap traps are blunt guillotines that seldom kill on impact.
Snap traps are cruel because, in many cases, they fail to catch the animals quickly or on target. When a mouse steps on the snap trap trigger, the trap's jaws slam shut on the animal's fragile limbs. Mice scream and frantically struggle in excruciating pain as the trap cuts into his or her flesh, often down to the bone, mutilating the foot or leg. Some animals, especially mothers desperate to get back to their young, fight so vigorously that they attempt to chew or twist off their trapped limb.
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Live traps often become death traps where mice and rats slowly die of starvation, dehydration, or cannibalism when the traps are not checked regularly.So no traps are ethical?
We don't condone or encourage the murder of animals by any means. However, more humane mouse traps, while not perfect, helps to significantly improve animal welfare.So what kind of trap do you recommend we use in the future?
The Rentokil company has developed a rodent trap called The Radar which humanely euthanizes the captured rodents with carbon dioxide. This high-tech trap immediately alerts the client via e-mail when a rodent has been caught and text-messages a Rentokil technician indicating the precise location of the triggered unit, so that the trap can quickly be emptied and reset.Email-enabled rat traps?
Yes.Hey, is it true you have to take a rat 1 mile away from your home to avoid it returning?
Yes.But if you release rats in urban areas aren't you just passing the problem on to someone else?
Captured rats should be released in an area far from human habitation, at least 1/2 mile from any structure, but where food and shelter are readily available. Be sure to choose the site that's in the best interest of the rats and any nearby property owners. Also, you must release the rat with a full stomach: Remember, the rat has probably had a steady diet in your home and it will take some time for him or her to find another source of food. You can give the rat a head start by feeding him or her just before you release them. If you remove rats during the winter, you should provide temporary shelter for them in a small pile of grass or straw on your property.You're saying we have to shelter and feed the rats? That's asking a bit much isn't it? How about if we get a cat?
The only reason a person should adopt any companion animal is for companionship - not to resolve conflicts with other animals. Like traps and poisons, cats are completely indiscriminate with respect to the prey they pursue.So we have to protect the rats from the cats?
Free-roaming cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians each year. Many people consider free-roaming cats pests. They do not want the cats to urinate, defecate, dig, eat plants, or kill birds on their properties. Free-roaming cats have been shot, poisoned, and stolen by angry neighbours. For these reasons, we strongly discourage people from allowing cats to roam outdoors without supervision.OK, well, thanks.
You're welcome.
