Rat woes (From Barry And District News)

Rat woes

STRAY dogs are a necessary adjunct to all human communities.

They kill the vermin which breed and multiply on human waste. The rat problem became inevitable when a handful of harmless stray dogs became "packs of wild dogs" and a public outcry forced the Vale Council to hire a warden to clear them from the streets.

The consequence of this over-emotive misuse of the English language to justify an extreme solution to a minor problem is an unprecedented infestation of dangerous, disease bearing rodents which will be almost impossible to eradicate. Once the rat is established it stays.

Worse may follow. The dogs also kept foxes out of the town. I know of at least three families of foxes living and breeding in Cadoxton since the stray dogs were removed. More will come. It's too easy for foxes, like rats, to make a rich living from discarded bags of take away food and plastic rubbish sacks. Why work for a living when it's provided free and there's no danger?

This is not a problem for ponderous, long-winded, politically correct consideration by a committee. Action is needed now.

Poison is unlikely to work. There are then only two feasible solutions. The first is to place twenty men with shotguns in Cadoxton for a period of months to kill any vermin which appear. But everyone knows this will not happen. The second, simplest solution is to take a dozen terriers from the dog pound and turn them loose on the streets.

Goodbye rats, farewell foxes.

C E Lambert Brookside Barry