Australia's Mouse Plague Hits Home

Australia’s grain belt is facing a catastrophic mouse plague, with rodent numbers ten times plague levels in some areas—invading homes, beds, and food stores, leaving behind a foul stench of urine, feces, and death. Farmers are losing 5 to 50 percent of their crops, risking financial ruin, while bureaucratic delays blocked access to fast-acting poisons like zinc phosphide. Beyond the economic toll, the psychological strain is crushing: mice don’t stay outside—they’re everywhere. Communities are taking extreme measures to protect food, and businesses are struggling to keep rodents out. Experts say mouse plagues follow a boom-and-bust cycle, but it’s unclear if Western Australia is nearing the peak or just halfway. For now, farmers are battling the tide, relying on bait and community resilience, hoping the plague will vanish as suddenly as it arrived. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/fb1d68efd988c419