The plague of mice attacking parts of Australia is turning into a horror story, with the rodents threatening to invade Sydney, reports of the vermin eating their own, and the farming industry being thrown into turmoil.
Millions of mice have swarmed schools, homes and hospitals in the eastern states of New South Wales and Queensland, wreaking havoc and leaving entire towns suffocating from a lingering pungent odor. Now there are reports of them munching on the remains of dead rodents and even predictions that they could reach Sydney in a matter of weeks, riding on freight trucks and food crates.
While the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority hasn’t approved the use of a highly toxic chemical to tackle the scourge, the state of New South Wales is already gearing up for the permit. Local authorities have secured 5,000 liters of Bromadiolone, one of the strongest mice killers, for distribution across 20 treatment sites in the worst affected areas of the region.
The swarm is also threatening Australia’s $51 billion agriculture industry. Mice numbers have exploded after a bumper crop last season. With the crisis showing no signs of abating, some farmers are refraining from planting winter crops for fear of damage to freshly sown seeds and ripened grain, according to Matthew Madden, the grains committee chair for industry group NSW Farmers.