The City of Johannesburg has recently developed a strategy to combat the massive rat infestation in Johannesburg. Although the strategy focuses on biological and environmentally friendly methods, poisoning and inhumane trapping are not excluded entirely. Some "experts" are even suggesting that environmentally friendly methods are "a waste of time" and that the focus should be shifted to poisoning and trapping. This callousness shows an utter disregard for non-human life. Rats are not mindless objects, but intelligent social creatures. According to PETA, they form close bonds, play together and cuddle up together while sleeping. They have a great capacity for memory and can even learn their own names and respond when they are called. Furthermore, killing is not an effective method of population control. If many are killed, the food supply will increase for the survivors and give them a reproductive advantage, meaning faster breeding and a population increase. Poison and glue traps, besides being cruel and causing an unspeakably agonising death for the victim, are also dangerous to humans, other animals and the environment. Let's encourage the City of Johannesburg to make the ethical choice when it comes to combating the rat infestation and to ignore advice from "pest control experts" who stand to gain from their services being used.
Dear Ms Lefifi
We have started a petiton to request that the City of Johannesburg uses ethical methods in their current mission to control the city's rat problem. Although the current strategy focuses on biological and environmentally friendly methods, poisoning and inhumane trapping are not excluded entirely. Some people like Roger Hagerty, the founder of Solid Hygiene Solution, are even suggesting that environmentally friendly methods are "a waste of time" and that the focus should be shifted to poisoning and trapping. This callousness shows an utter disregard for non-human life. Rats are not mindless objects, but intelligent social creatures. According to PETA, they form close bonds, play together and cuddle up together while sleeping. They have a great capacity for memory and can even learn their own names and respond when they are called. Furthermore, killing is not an effective method of population control. If many are killed, the food supply will increase for the survivors and give them a reproductive advantage, meaning faster breeding and a population increase. Poison and glue traps, besides being cruel and causing an unspeakably agonising death for the victim, are also dangerous to humans, other animals and the environment.
We would like to congratulate the city's choice to use more environmentally friendly methods, but ask that all inhumane methods be changed.
