'Mouse Plague' In Australia: Mice Invading Streets, People's Homes

Parts of rural Australia are being plagued by hordes of mice that are causing serious damage and invading people's homes.

Rural New South Wales and southern Queensland have been experiencing a massive mouse infestation that locals have called a "plague." As The Guardian reported, the influx of rodents to the area was likely a result of the region's recent yield of an unusually large grain harvest after years of drought.

This is has led to the mice filling the streets, going into people's homes and cars and even invading businesses, with the locals having to spend hours just to clean up the mess and set traps.

A woman from the city of Toowoomba in Queensland found a nest of baby mice in her armchair when she stripped the fabric off after it had begun to smell bad, The Guardian reported. A family even has a record of catching 183 mice in a single night, while Naav Singh of 5Star Supermarket reported catching as many as 500 mice on some nights.

They have also had to come in to work hours earlier just to clean up the mess, Singh said, estimating that the plague has likely caused the business tens of thousands.

The mice have also chewed through and urinated on important bales of hay. They have even eaten machine wiring, the outlet reported.

In a video shared on Twitter, a Dubbo resident filmed a mouse staring at her from the vents.

Meanwhile, an earlier video from the "mouse plague" shows mice scampering through the street.

This is problematic, not just because of how the mice disrupt people's lives and properties, but also because they can actually become vectors of disease.

Rodents can directly transmit diseases such as hantavirus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, tularemia and the plague, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. They can also indirectly transmit diseases such as Lyme disease, Colorado tick fever and babesiosis via the ticks on them.

So far, three people have reportedly been brought to the hospital because of rodent bites.

Apart from the massive efforts to eradicate the rodents, residents are hoping that the forecast heavy rains will help put an end to the months-long infestation.

This past weekend, Australia's east coast experienced "record" rain and massive flooding that prompted thousands of people to evacuate. By Saturday, the Warragamba Dam began the "first significant overflow" in the reservoir since 1990.