03/29/2024

Wales News Online

Local & National News for Wales

Rodent ‘terminator’ called to deal with school’s Christmas visitor

PART of  Carmarthenshire’s flagship primary school Ysgol Pen Rhos in Llanelli has been closed…by a mouse.

Now there are shrieks and squeaks from a parent to save the mini rodent who has made his home for Christmas in a wall in the school’s nursery. But it may be too late.

The county council’s environmental health team moved in yesterday and are thought to have recommended nursery classes are moved to another part of the school.

One Mum and parent who asked not to be named think the school have over reacted calling in the death squad.

She said: “They have probably lost a chance here to David Attenborough fashion  educate more than 400 kids in the school on the wonders of nature thanks to a mouse.

“Rather than poison the poor little creature they should have tried to humanely trap it and then release it safely.

“What an inspiring and compassionate story that could or would have been for the school and how wonderfully beneficial for the children.

“I am sure they all know the hymn :

All things bright and beautiful

All creatures great and small

All things wise and wonderful

The Lord God made them all.

“After all mice in themselves are not threatening creatures like rats that can carry rabies, live in sewers and caused the Bubonic plague.”

If you look on the internet and Youtube there are scores of school mice videos and opportunities to make felt mice decorations for Christmas. I just feel, sadly for the mouse we have missed a trick here.

“I almost feel inclined to make a banner to save the mouse and parade it outside the school. But I fear it is too late.

Head teacher Joe Cudd in a letter to parent’s sent home with children throughout the school yesterday wrote: “We are informing you of an issue we have noted in the nursery classes only.

“There is evidence that a mouse is in the wall of the class.

“The Environmental Health team have visited the school to offer assistance following evidence of a mouse and treatment is underway.

“As a precautionary measure, children in the nursery classes have been moved to a different area of the school. The school is open as usual.”

  • Did you know a mouse spotted on a BA flight cost the airline a quarter of a million pounds?
  • Wonder how much this has cost the school when a box and piece of cheese might have led to a happy ending?

One wonders what one of our most treasured naturalists would have made of it all, not to mention the team at Autumn Watch, Country File. It is a case of hard cheese for them, the mouse is dead. Long live the mouse.

Gareth Morgans, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Director of Education and Children’s Services, said: “Our Environmental Health team have visited the school to offer assistance following evidence of a mouse and treatment is underway. As a precautionary measure, children in the nursery classes have been moved to a different area of the school. The school is open as normal.”

Mouse pic: Seney Natural History Association [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

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