The black box of rodents perceived as pests: on inconsistencies, lack of knowledge and a moral mirror

Discussions about food production and animals often focus on the welfare and treatment of production animals. However, more animals are involved. All over the world, unspecified, but large numbers of wild living rats, mice and other animals are killed because they are perceived as pests. If labelled as a pest animal, discussions on moral status and welfare seem to disappear from the public debate. This seems rather strange, if we take into account that these rats and mice do not differ in their capabilities to suffer compared to rats and mice in other contexts. In this paper, we present the first results of a study on this topic by the Centre for Sustainable Animal Stewardship. It includes the current status of the treatment of rodents perceived as pests, an overview of stakeholder attitudes and first reflections on its moral dimensions. Participating stakeholders feel the need to improve the treatment of mice and rats perceives as pests in terms of animal welfare, humanness and effectiveness of control. They urge for a better application of preventive measures by all people involved in pest control, including private persons. More attention should be paid to the humanness of control measures. National coordination and monitoring under the responsibility of the government is necessary for better implementation of IPM and more responsible rodent control. The outcomes of the study seem promising for the start of a dialogue about the treatment of rodents perceived as pests and improvements to make. Furthermore, they may be an inspiration for and start of a broader dialogue about ways to achieve a responsible and sustainable human-animal relationship.