Everyone has a harrowing tale of infestation with rats or mice. My favourite is from a friend who had to use a toilet brush to fight off and drown a rat he found 鈥� at a particularly inopportune moment 鈥� splashing around in the loo. Not very pleasant, but it turns out that we have yet to invent a humane way of dispatching vermin.
This collective failure is the main focus of a from the UK reviewing current methods of pest control. 鈥淎ll the methods that are available at the moment have some drawbacks, and the world could do with more humane methods,鈥� says James Kirkwood, the federation鈥檚 scientific director.
Speedy departure
So, how would a perfect trap work? 鈥淭he humane ideal is that the animal is killed instantly, or unconsciousness induced without any fear or distress,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his is a global issue because so many animals are killed using less-than-perfect methods.鈥�
Advertisement
The optimal solution is to exclude the animals in the first place, both by securing premises physically and through cleanliness and hygiene to deny rodents access to all food, water, shelter or nesting sites.
But if the worst comes to the worst, what then? The report says that the faint-hearted are always best advised to call in professional pest controllers.
For those of a stronger constitution and prepared to tackle the problem personally, the emphasis has to be on checking regularly 鈥� twice a day, at least 鈥� to see if traps or baits have worked. The second, more onerous burden is to be prepared to despatch as quickly as possible any caught or poisoned but still living animals. As the report dryly notes: 鈥淒ealing with live caught animals, especially rats, is very challenging.鈥�
Brush with death
The most humane method of dispatch says the report is the 鈥渄estruction of the brain by a strong and accurate blow to the head with a suitable implement鈥�. Don鈥檛 think toilet brush, though. A hammer or shoe heel might work better.
However, the report notes that carrying through this distressing task is neither physically simple, nor necessarily safe 鈥� especially if the animal is in a mood to struggle and bite. As it correctly states: 鈥淣ot everyone is suited temperamentally to these procedures for killing live-caught rodents.鈥�
Drowning might seem a better option, since the animal need not be removed from a trap, but the method is ethically problematic. The report cites research from Japan which found it took an average of 2.6 minutes for rats to drown, concluding they must suffer considerably until their demise. 鈥淭he consensus view of the UFAW Working Group is that drowning is not a humane method, and should be avoided.鈥�
Even if the animal appears dead, 鈥渋t is very important to confirm death鈥�, says the report. So be prepared to check for breathing or other movement, blink reflex when you touch the animals鈥� eye with a cotton-bud, reactions to a sharp pinch a paw, and heartbeat. Hmmm, rather you than me.
But even animal lovers who use non-lethal traps face awful dilemmas. Release the animal too close to home and it will be streetwise enough to simply find its way straight back. Release it in some remote forest and it will almost certainly suffer terribly through unfamiliarity with its new environment. 鈥淚n the wild, it鈥檚 tough,鈥� Kirkwood told me. 鈥淧eople who set them free may not be doing them any favours, and it鈥檚 unwise to assume they will be just fine,鈥� he said.
Sticky end
So what methods are currently available, and which ones are most humane? One, the 鈥渟tretched rubber ring strangulation system鈥�, has been passed as humane in New Zealand. Basically, it garrottes its captor instantly with a rubber ring that closes around the animal鈥檚 neck, causing death within 2 minutes.
Glue boards are non-toxic, but as with all physical traps, the animals can become injured and suffer serious pain trying to escape. At least the method of dispatch is simple: turn the board upside down and hammer it.
Gas traps that asphyxiate animals with carbon dioxide are seen as pretty convenient, killing the animals within 2 minutes without having to handle them. Some companies even include transmitters in them that notify pest controllers when an animal is caught. But these can only be used by trained pest controllers, and are likely to cause pain before the animal final passes out, according to the report.
Explosives ban
Electrocution devices are available too, but they sometimes don鈥檛 provide an instantly lethal shock, so the animal suffers severe pain from a heart attack prior to death. 鈥淲e are not aware of much information about the efficacy and humaneness of these devices,鈥� says the report.
Poisons can take ages to kill as well, as long as 9 or 10 days for rats, even after they鈥檝e had a lethal dose. And there鈥檚 always a worry that the poison will also kill predators consuming the contaminated animals.
And blowing up rodents by pumping explosives into their burrows is completely out. 鈥淭his is NOT a permitted killing method鈥�, says the report (their emphasis).
All of which makes me wonder, how hard can it be to humanely kill a rat? Do you have the solution? Kirkwood says that he hopes the report will stimulate funding and research. So if you can come up with a good alternative, there could even be money in it.
