With the considered rats and mice scurrying round your home or backyard being lower than excellent, you may be questioning if the rodents are legally protected and if you will get into bother for coping with them your self.
Some species of rodents are legally protected and precautions should be taken to ensure these aren’t harmed as you attempt to lure or forestall rats and mice from being in your property, the RSPCA web site explains.
So what’s the regulation with regards to rats and mice within the UK? Let’s have a look.
What is the regulation surrounding rats and mice within the UK and are they legally protected?
Generally, species of rodents aren’t legally protected within the UK however the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), water vole (Arvicola amphibius) and purple squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) all are, based on the RSPCA website.
The RSPCA provides: “A licence must be applied for (from Natural England or Natural Resources Wales) before action can be taken against them.”
The charity urges individuals to bear in mind that inserting traps, snares or poisons in a place the place they could catch a fats dormouse (Glis glis) is unlawful.
The RSPCA says: “If you are trapping rodents using either kill or live-catch traps or rodentcide, you must therefore take precautions against the trapping or killing of any dormouse.
“Similarly, traps, snares or poisons laid out for rodents pose a threat to shrew species, who are also protected from being killed or taken by these measures.”
The RSPCA urges individuals to bear in mind that inserting traps, snares or poisons in a place the place they could catch a fats dormouse (Glis glis) is unlawful (Image: Getty)
Either Natural England or Natural Resources Wales can difficulty a licence for shrews to be live-caught and ringed or marked.
It’s essential to notice although that “this can only be used for scientific, educational or conservation reasons and the licence conditions must be met.”
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As quickly as an animal finds itself in a lure and about it, the animal’s welfare is ruled by the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
This signifies that the person who set the lure has duty for the animal’s welfare. To trigger, or fail to forestall, pointless struggling to the animal is an offence.
The RSPCA provides: “Alternatively, it is an offence to release certain species, such as the black rat (Rattus rattus) or fat dormouse (G. glis) into the wild (except under licence); this means that the use of a live-catch trap in relocating such a rodent would constitute an offence.”
