Hundreds of inmates have been evacuated from an Australian prison due to a mouse infestation. The rodents had entered the building and gnawed at the wiring and ceiling panels.
“The health, safety and well-being of staff and inmates is our number one priority, so it’s important for us to act now to carry out essential recovery efforts,” said Peter Severin of the state prison service.
Over the next ten days, all 420 inmates from the New South Wales penitentiary will be transferred to other prisons. Some 200 employees will also be put to work elsewhere before the end of the month until the repairs are completed.
Crops ruined
In eastern Australia in particular, farmers have been suffering from a plague of mice. The prison is also located in that part of the country, near farmland, about 350 kilometers from Sydney.
On images from the Australian news website 9News shows how mice drive the farmers to despair. The harvests have been ruined by the mice for ages.
A woman filmed mice on a farm in New South Wales in March:
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