Unwelcome
Whiskered Visitors
By Stephanie L. Boyles
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
Norfolk, VA
New construction and heavier-than-normal
rainfall last year have sent rats racing for urban
areas across southern California. If you have
unwelcome whiskered visitors in your home, PETA
offers these tips for humanely deterring them:
• Seal holes larger than a quarter inch
in diameter, cracks in the walls and floors, and
spaces around doors, windows, and plumbing.
• Feed companion animals indoors and pick
up their dishes when they’ve finished eating.
• Keep all food and garbage in well-sealed
containers rats can’t chew through.
These non-lethal methods are not only humane,
but they work better than extermination efforts,
which are counterproductive because they often
result in surviving rats having a “baby
boom” and new rats moving in to fill vacancies.
Trapping is also extremely cruel — any animals
unlucky enough to set foot on a glue trap, for
instance, can suffer for days, starving, dehydrating,
ripping out their skin and hair, chewing off their
limbs in attempts to escape, and suffocating if
their faces get stuck.
For more information on humane solutions to conflicts
with wildlife, visit HelpingWildlife.com.
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