Rats!

Many people may not notice it when they walk into the school building, but in the doorways, mouse traps have been discreetly set up. Because of the construction of the auditorium, our issue with mice in the building has only grown. While the infestation may not seem like an important issue, it could concern the health of students and even the morality of the usage of mouse traps.

Mouse infestations are not uncommon, especially in places with higher populations. All throughout history, organizations have been trying to find the most effective way to eliminate these rodents. Having mice in the same environment as people can be unsanitary and unsafe, so the removal of them is almost always necessary. However, recently people have started to question the ethics of different mouse traps. 

Certain traps, like glue traps, keep the mouse in place until they die from stress or starvation. These kinds of traps can seem immoral and concern certain people with animal cruelty. Other traps like poison traps may not kill the mice immediately, so they can escape where other animals pick them up as easy prey and also get infected.

Some individuals, like sophomore Esther Ntumba, embrace their experiences with the mice. “Me and my brother… attempted to keep one alive by giving it water, food, and shelter…”. Despite her and her brother trying to take care of the mice, they kept falling into their water drain and not being able to get out. Eventually, instead of getting possibly inhumane or even dangerous mouse traps, the problem was able to take care of itself. “This only lasted during the summer thankfully, as we (put) up a bird feeder, and the birds seemed to eat and scare off the mice, which are no longer a problem.”

Other people, for example, senior Lucy Matlock, find mouse infestations much less enjoyable. “We used glue traps although I prefer traps that make it easier to release after”. What stood out to me during her interview was her mention of cleaning up the rats’ messes for months after getting rid of the mice. Inside the house, they would find droppings and scraps of paper in hidden corners and have to deeply sanitize the area.

This is also an issue that members of the staff have to deal with. I interviewed staff member Mr. Snodgrass to get his insight into the situation. Unlike high school students who have limited resources in their homes, the school has access to professionals to take care of these problems. “We have a great operations team here at Waukee, and they are hard at work laying traps, closing any gaps they can sneak through, preventing doors from being propped open.” Mr. Snodgrass also brought up how the small infestation in the school has grown recently.

In conclusion, whether or not you believe it’s moral there are many different ways to take care of mouse infestations and in most situations it is necessary. You should remember that there is always something you can do to eliminate the possibility of a rodent infestation. As Mr. Snodgrass mentioned, “Students can also help by throwing away trash (especially food), not propping open doors, and letting a staff member know if they see droppings (don’t touch the droppings with your bare hand).”