Drowning mice in anti-freeze, poisoning them, or trapping them with glue traps, stuffing them into plastic bags and throwing them in the trash isn’t just cruel, it is futile (“Got mice?” Sun Journal, Jan. 24). More mice will move in to take the place of those who were killed and the temporary spike in the food supply will prompt accelerated breeding — resulting in more rodents.
Poisons and glue traps also pose health hazards to humans, which is why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises against using them.
People can keep their homes rodent-free humanely by using ammonia-soaked rags or strobe lights to repel them, sealing up cracks and holes in walls and foundations, installing rodent guards on garage doors, trimming vegetation back around buildings and keeping food and garbage in sealed, chew-proof containers. Any remaining rodents can be caught with a humane, live-trap devices and released outdoors.
Even the smallest animals feel pain and fear, and they deserve to be treated with compassion.
Craig Shapiro, Norfolk, Va. for the PETA Foundation
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