Germaine Greer reveals her love of rats and debates available methods of control

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In a recent article in The Telegraph, well-known academic and feminist, Germaine Greer, reveals her love and admiration for rats. From our professional pest control point of view, in her well researched article she pretty accurately describes the variety of control methods available. This makes interesting reading particularly since it is this sort of article that will influence domestic customers requiring rodent control.

To read the article in The Telegraph for yourself click here.

After skimming through the introductory part explaining her fascination with rats, the author rightly points-out that it is an offense for a landowner to let rats live on their property.

She advocates the use of dogs as a ‘short and sharp’ means of despatching rats. Then acknowledges that as the weather gets colder, rats will be coming in from the fields, at which point she admits she needs help, if not to be over-run.

She says: “All rat poisons are appallingly cruel. I can call the pest control officer from the local council, but he will use the same kind of poison, or a worse one.”

  

Germaine Greer
Revealing her admiration for rats – Germaine Greer

What then follows is a debate on the various methods of rat control, including:

  • difenacoum rodenticides and possible secondary poisoning effects;
  • alpha cellulose plus attractant baits;
  • ‘so-called’ humane traps and the problems here disposing of live captured rats;
  • sonic rat repellers and electromagnetic devices – both acknowledged as pretty useless.

She concludes by stating: “Which leaves us back where we started, with dogs. They are, as they always have been, the best option; even so they’re not particularly effective. Rats will continue to lodge with us, and we will continue to persecute them with exemplary brutality.” 

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