Does Brashier Havahart for the Mice?

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Tatiana Cerreta
February 18, 2010
Filed under News, Top Stories

“It caught one! It caught one!” Screamed Director of operations Ms. Sandy Brigmon to the girls of the Varsity Basketball team waiting in the cafeteria one afternoon before a game. Startled and confused, the girls followed the shaken Brashier staff member to a small room where the dry food for lunch is kept; and with the room so dark, they could barely make out anything in the pantry. Brigmon flicked on the lights, and it took the girls only a few moments to understand what “it” had caught.

On a piece of black sticky tape, a sweaty and terrified baby mouse fought in vain for its freedom from the trap, its tiny paws bleeding. Some of the girls shrilled in fear of the little animal, while a few almost burst in tears at the sight of the poor creature slowly slipping away. “What happens if it doesn’t die tonight,” a curious girl asked. Brigmon sighed and quietly said, “ The exterminator comes tomorrow.” At once the team all understood what was going to happen to the little mouse and quietly shuffled out of the pantry, clicking the light off and leaving the creature in the dark once again.

During cold winter months, mice tend to find shelter indoors and away from the severe weather conditions, but in some cases they are risking more then being cold. Since the flare up of a few mouse problems at the school, Brashier has set traps to keep the animals away from food and electrical wiring which they tend to chew on.

Mike Sinclair, Principal of Brashier says, ” We have no reason to believe there is a problem. We haven’t had any bad problems in weeks. The mice just found a way to get into the place where we store food, but they were caught.” Junior Nubia Adams thinks,“We should not have mice in this school. Mice and people don’t belong together. We should feed them to Mr. Smith’s snake.”

There is, however, an alternative some students wouldn’t mind seeing Brashier providing instead of killing the tiny creatures. Havahart® traps for mice and other creatures provide a humane solution for getting rid of the mice. The traps work by simply baiting the small creatures with foods they enjoy such as peanut butter, seeds, gumdrops, etcetera. Once set up, the traps door is set to the open position, with the bait in place in front of the traps switch to close the door (which the animal will unknowingly step on to retrieve food). The animal will wander into the trap and step onto the door switch. Once a mouse steps on the switch, the door closes and they are free to eat the bait.

When checked, the mouse can be set free by simply opening the door by the handle on the outside of the trap. Brashier is located near a heavily wooded area which would probably be the place the captured mice would be set free. Sinclair says, ” We actually captured several and released them, but we think they got back in.” The school is at risk for mice returning to the school, but, if the process of catch and release is allowed to continue, mice will move on when warmer months move in. The downside to Havahart Mouse Traps is costwise, they are more expensive than your normal trap. ”The Tomcat” traps Brashier has go for around five dollars, where as Havahart traps will set you back about from the most expensive non-killing trap for around twenty one dollars, to the least expensive of three dollars and thirty five cents. “ Well that’s what we should do, the mice have never done anything to any of the students and if they did, well, the student deserved it,” chuckles Sophomore Vanessa Steadham, “ I mean Jerry never did anything to Tom!” Sean Hackle, a Junior feels, “The mice are cool, as long as they’re like Mickey Mouse.”

But on a final serious note, Senior Hannah Kelly says, ‘It’s wrong! We should have Havahart traps, the ones we have now are inhumane.” Whereas Principal Sinclair says, “We have not had any more problems lately, no damaged food products, the traps did their job.”

Comments

11 Responses to “Does Brashier Havahart for the Mice?”

Jeff Cerreta on February 18th, 2010 1:34 pm

Must admire her compassion. Great article!

[Reply]
Lauren Kreutziger on February 18th, 2010 6:28 pm

I knew we had a small problem with the mice coming into the school, but I did not know how it was affected the students at Brashier. I agree with Ms. Kelly in the fact that the traps are inhuman. I feel we should look into the Havahart traps if it becomes a problem again!

[Reply]
Carri Uram on February 18th, 2010 7:37 pm

Great job Tatiana~! I do appreciate your compassionate heart.

[Reply]
Miranda Vaughan on February 18th, 2010 8:09 pm

i would happily make donations for a Havahart trap. i see no reason for these mice to suffer. we built our school on their homes. we took away their property and they should not die because of it. we are not barbarons! we should save these mice and give them a good home out in the woods! im willing ti help!

[Reply]
tcerreta on February 18th, 2010 8:20 pm

Thanks Dad for all your supportiveness I love you! (3

[Reply]
tcerreta on February 18th, 2010 8:21 pm

Lauren I couldn’t agree with you more! Especially when I researched and found that some of the no kill traps cost even less than the traps we use!

[Reply]
tcerreta on February 18th, 2010 8:22 pm

Awww thank you so much Mrs. Uram! I’ve always had a soft spot for animals big and small, I’m so glad you liked the article! (:

[Reply]
tcerreta on February 18th, 2010 8:27 pm

Thats totally how I feel Miranda! I mean it’s the least we can do, its not like they’re endangering students, and when I researched it, the traps we use now are actually more expensive compaired to the no kill traps! I think once students start to make their own opinions on the matter, we might have a change for the little guys! I really want to see this issue pushed, haha I’m not giving in just yet.

[Reply]
hkelley on February 19th, 2010 10:12 pm

and its totally true!! they are totally inhumane!! we need to have the humane traps!! goood job tat!!

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Anonymous on February 23rd, 2010 11:16 pm

We could use the Havahart traps to let Mr. Smith’s snakes eat the trapped mice. This way they would not be wasted and it would be natural.

[Reply]
MiceLover! on February 26th, 2010 7:43 am

No! We should not use humane traps just to kill the mice! thats rediculous!!!!! what would be the point of the humane traps then??? We should trap the mice and set them free where they have a fair chance at life. We built our school on their homes and they shouldnt die because of it. If they were to get eaten by a snake out in the woods, then it at least had a chance to live. We shouldnt catch them to kill them. In my opinion thats just as bad as the inhumane traps.

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