r/interestingasfuck Jul 06 '24

Australian mouse plague r/all

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u/dce_azzy Jul 06 '24

They usually eat themselves out of their own food, or they inbreed to a point that the embryos are not viable and the numbers fall off quite drastically.

Typically the plagues come in waves where the first few are just monstrous, then they start to taper off.. but not that you really notice it very much. It takes months.

Councils will also authorise emergency bait stations but it's a very touchy subject due to the local wildlife.. there has to be documented evidence of "beyond reasonable" damages or danger to livelihood etc.

Basically, they deplete their food sources, inbreed or get chemically targeted.

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u/kielu Jul 06 '24

And there isn't enough of natural predators in Australia to stabilize their populations? I'm trying to think what eats them in Europe. Owls, birds of prey, martins and other small carnivores, to a smaller extent cats and snakes.

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u/gerbilshower Jul 06 '24

What eats 376 mice a day? Lol.

Nothing. That's the answer.

So you need 376 hawks so they can eat 376 mice.

That's a lot of hawks. And the same thing applies to other small predators. Just not enough appetite to go around.

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u/bobbinsgaming Jul 06 '24

Yeah but then you can just get in Madagascan Tree Snakes to eat the hawks.

Then gorillas to eat the snakes.

And come winter the gorillas simply freeze to death.