The mouse population at Churchland High School is at an alarmingly high rate this school year. Consequently, this has led to an abundance of mouse traps being placed around the building.
I have watched a mouse run in fear through a classroom, students running out of classrooms, students screaming, and also students yelling, “KILL IT!”
But why harm a creature that isn’t showing us harm?
There should be a more humane way to deal with the problem. The traps that CHS uses to kill the mice, though, are definitely not humane.
Operations, the CHS maintenance department downtown, is in charge of the traps that are purchased for the school.
The inhumane traps that they have invested in are the “CatchMaster Mouse & Insect Glue Boards.” These boards have the sole intention of killing the mice. They trap the rodent onto a sticky pad, forcing it to starve, and eventually die. Most rodents will even attempt to chew off their limbs to escape.
The glue boards aren’t just unsafe for rodents, but also for people. It’s more dangerous to humans to have a dead rodent stuck in a trap than to have a live rodent in their presence.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health caution against the use of glue boards because animals who are trapped on these devices often void their bowels, potentially exposing anyone who handles the traps to hantavirus, which can be fatal to humans.
Principal Millaci was not aware of the way the glue traps work and was shocked when it was explained to him. Millaci would consider using more humane traps, and he is willing to put in a suggestion to Operations.
The “CatchMaster” traps retail for $27.95 a 60-pack on Amazon.com; however, there are cheaper and more humane options out there. It is unclear where Operations purchases the traps or how much they cost, but if the school division continues to buy these cruel, disposable traps, at any cost, then they are wasting money.
According to PETA, there are many alternatives that could get rid of the mice in our school which are also non-fatal to humans.
One of the most effective and humane ways is to trap and release mice by using Mice Cube Reusable Humane Traps.
Instead of killing mice, these traps have a door that closes once the rodent is inside, so that they can then be released into the wild. These traps retail for $16.99 for a 6-pack on Amazon.com. This would be very useful investment due to the fact that we don't need a trap in EVERY classroom and they are reusable, which would save the school some money in the long run.
Let's take a moment to provide safety to the mice. And, of course, to the humans as well.
Headline photo: Public Domain. In-article photo: Kevin Bolduc