The mouse problem already started when Linda Strand and her husband moved into the small farm they had bought in Surnadal five years ago.
The house had been unoccupied for many years, and the previous owners had left food in the house. It had attracted large numbers of mice.
– When we took over it was an eldorado for mice there. We bought mouse traps, poison, switched on a high-frequency sound to get them away, and the cats hunted, but we had no chance – they were everywhere, says Linda Strand to Dagbladet.
She first spoke to the local newspaper Drive about the mouse problem.
Eventually the couple began to get control of the mice, but over two years ago it exploded again.
HUNTING: The cats on the small farm were busy catching mice. Photo: Private
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– It was an invasion. I’m afraid of mice too, and walked with boots inside. We considered moving, says Strand.
The method
The couple were desperate for a solution.
– We had tried everything. Even the cats had given up.
Strand says that they then decided to try “bucket traps”.
– But perhaps we shouldn’t have done that, says Strand.
They took an old bucket with a string across it, and attached a can of peanut butter to it.
PROBLEM: The cats caught many mice, but the problem still didn’t go away, says Linda Strand.
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When the mice darted over the string to the box, it snapped and the mice fell into the water with antifreeze in it.
– We calculated that they died within 30 seconds, says Strand, and adds that they finally got rid of the problem after this.
– Although nothing
On a Facebook group Strand was a member of, someone asked for advice on getting rid of large numbers of mice in the house. Wanting to share her experience, she posted a picture of the bucket trap about two years ago.
The surprise was big when the police suddenly called Strand last week, with the message that she had been reported for animal cruelty by Noah.
– I didn’t understand anything, and asked if they were serious. Someone had probably tipped Noah off about it, says Strand.
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– I am surprised that they can spend time and resources on this. There are many other things Noah could be spending his time on, and I don’t know if this is what your members expect the money to go to.
Strand says that she and the man were not aware that the method they used was illegal.
– I have no regrets, we saw no other advice, we had tried everything. However you go about it, there are no nice ways to do it. The other methods are no better. The alternative is to move.
Strand and the man must appear for questioning by the police.
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– He fixed the bucket, so he is an accomplice. There may well be a fine here, and I will take it, I will answer for what I have done. It’s not something I’m proud of, but we were desperate.
On Facebook, the case has received a lot of attention, and there have mostly been statements of support for the couple, according to Strand.
– Most people say that they are against the report from Noah, and think it is strange that they are spending resources on this.
– Being called an animal abuser… I don’t feel like that. There is a difference between dogs and mice, they are pests and can destroy a lot.
– Only because it is not popular
Leader of the animal welfare organization Noah says that it is not unreasonable for the person who is reported to believe that they would prefer not to be reported.
– But it is important to report offenses against animals that people tip about, and to take seriously all types of offenses against animals, says Siri Martinsen to Dagbladet.
NO UNDERSTANDING: Noah leader Siri Martinsen says she has no understanding of the method used to kill the mice. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB
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– It is not the case that just because an animal is unpopular, one should not care that illegal killing methods are used.
According to the Animal Welfare Act, it is illegal to cause suffering to animals or leave the animal in a helpless state. Violation of this can be punished with fines and/or imprisonment for up to one year.
Martinsen believes the traps the couple used cause unnecessary suffering.
– Then there are also several other trap types which are legal, but which cause suffering, but which should cause it to a lesser extent than in this case.
– Not understanding
The Noah manager comes up with several tips on how to get rid of unwanted rodents in the best possible way.
– We primarily recommend sealing the places where the animals enter. If there are still animals inside after sealing, you can use live traps – that is, catch them and put the animals back out. This again assumes that you have sealed it so that they come back.
Another tip from Noah is to use sound in frequencies that rodents don’t like, to scare them away.
– But it won’t work forever, and of course you have to seal well at the same time otherwise there are ways they can get in.
– Do you have any understanding that people resort to methods like Linda used, if nothing else seems to work?
– I do not understand why people use illegal methods because they cause unnecessary suffering. You shouldn’t ask for understanding for that.
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– I understand that you occasionally have to get an animal out of an area they are not supposed to be in, but then there are a number of methods that do not harm them in that way.
