The surges are big enough to capsize a continent:
Australia, right now, feels a little biblical. There was a terrible drought, then the worst bush fires ever recorded. A flood came next. Now it’s the turn of the mice.
The scale of the mouse plague is hard to comprehend. In the western districts of New South Wales (NSW), the country’s most populous state, millions of mice are now on the march. There are also serious infestations in southern Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.
On social media, farmers post videos showing the swarm in action, while farming organizations say the cost is already in the millions. [Richard Glover, WaPo]
Oh dear. Oh dear.
According to the Country Women’s Association, farmers have been bitten in their beds, with some protecting themselves from incursions by placing each leg of their bed or child’s cot in a bucket of sand or water.
In three towns, the mice even managed to invade the local hospital, biting patients.
Then, a month ago, there was a second flood, which some thought might drown the mice in their burrows. The impact varied. In some places, the rain stabilized mouse numbers, but in other places the populations continued to boom. Worse, the flooding drove the mice indoors, with some eating through doors and the silicon around windows to gain entry.
And then this:
Not that they don’t now have some competition. In breaking news, the mouse plague has now created a snake plague.
Don’t think of it as a joke. Think of it as our future.
