AUSTRALIA's premier grain growing areashave been invaded by an army of mice.According to Ken McElligot, lands minister of the grain-rich Queensland state,400,000 tons of the cereal would bedevoured by the marauding rats ifimmediate action is not taken to tacklethem. This is nearly half the state'sexpected winter crop, due to be harvested in December this year. "Manygrain growers are reporting mouse populations moving across their land inwaves, " reports McElligot.
The desperate Queensland authorities are now planning to bomb therodents with strychnine. They arelaunching a massive aerial baiting programme which will use this fast-actingdrug that fells a mouse in 8 seconds.But before that the state cabinet willhave to issue a formal approval to lift acurrently existing ban on strychnine.