Even a mouse can be a friend

There are animals that easily have our sympathy.
Like a panda bear.

Or a baby seal.

And what about ducks and poodles?



But there are other animals that are not so fortunate.
Like mice and rats.
And what about cockroaches and snakes?

Animals that are high on the level of our sympathy scale are lucky.
A panda bear, not able to survive in nature by itself anymore, is pampered in zoos worldwide and put on postcards.
Animals that are classified by humans as disgusting creatures, have a less comfortable time than a poodle.
They are poisoned, chased, trapped and pest controlled.

In paradise, according to the Holy Scriptures, it has been quite a different situation.
Adam and Eve lived in harmony with the animals.
They were not afraid of each other.
Even a lion was harmless.
There was no sympathy for particular animals nor antipathy.

How long the way is where we came from.
Since we were chased out of Paradise, it is de facto war between humans and animals.
Men massacres and extinct anything moving or crawling around him.
And animals, mostly bacteria and viruses, plot and try hard to terminate the presence of humans on this planet.

That is a nice mess we got ourselves in.
And it doesn't seem there is a way back to Paradise.

Is that true?
Can we not in our private and personal situation at least make an effort to make peace with the animal kingdom?
At least partially?

One may wonder how to achieve this ambitious goal.
There are some things we can do that are simple, effective and beautiful.
To the benefit of our animal companions on the planet.
Like what?
By not buying fur coats anymore.
To stop eating meat.
By not killing the insect that happened to have ventured into the living room but by opening a window and guiding it gently outside.

Easy things to do that makes the person feel better and the fox, the pig and the wasp as well.

But now we come back to our instincts of having easily sympathy for animal A and antipathy for animal B.
If we decide to give up the war with the animals and become friendly with them, what are we going to do when a mouse shows up in our house?

This terrible dilemma presented itself yesterday in the Fuso Szulc expedition vehicle currently at El Triple, Baja California, Mexico.
Life is lived here with peaceful intentions vis a vis les animaux.
The animals, that is.
Each morning, gently the insects are guided out of the Fuso Szulc who had been coming inside the night before attracted by the light.
Instead of smashing them to eternity and wipe them clean with a bleach free, lemon scented, antibacterial formula, disinfecting "Redi Wipes".
Snakes showing up near the Fuso Szulc are directed into another direction instead of having their head smashed in with a rock.
The fish in the ocean are left alone to live their wet life as they prefer because the human nearby choses to eat the soya beans product tofu.
Refrains to fish them out of the water and into the frying pan.

But then a mouse showed up in this semi paradise.
An animal that somehow is in category B.
Low on sympathy, high on antipathy.

Mice have been experienced before at El Triple.
And they can be a pest.
Plus very damaging.

Somehow they prefer not to live in their little hole in the ground but prefer a recreational vehicle.
In the past mice have moved into campers that were used at El Triple.
Where they make a nest.
Taking off the isolation from the inside of the hood.
And making a comfortable place on top of the air filter.
Meanwhile chewing on the electricity cables and cutting them.
Smelling food they make holes in wood with their sharp teeth to get access.
To walk on the kitchen counter when it is quiet in the late evening.
Possibly spreading diseases through the bacteria they carry.

Hence, there are many reasons to say to the mice:
"No, we are deeply sorry but you are not welcome.
Go back to your hole in the ground!"

Somehow, mice are not receptive for this advice.
They keep on coming.
Hence, something must be done.

Because of the past experiences, the Fuso Szulc has mouse traps on board.
Just in case.
And one was put in place last night.
With a piece of Gouda cheese.
Thinking this must be an exquisite delicatesse for a Mexican mouse.

Indeed, this morning, a mouse had killed itself by eating the cheese and retreating its head not fast enough.
Its own fault therefore.


But then the mind of the human being started to analyze the event.
The discussion is not about the impossibility of mice and men being in the same place.
It is clear that this is not a good idea.
Hence, when mice come and look for food, the human being should leave.
In the end, the mouse was there first.

Somehow this concept doesn't work well in the mind.
If the Fuso Szulc was to return to La Paz and friends were told it was because there were mice at El Triple who were there first, the local psychiatric hospital would get a new client.

Then another idea was born.
Using mouse traps or poison terminates the lives of the innocent mice.
It is a drastic measure.
Like this mouse that killed itself in the mouse trap last night.
It might be a female.
Who has young ones in the hole in the ground around the corner.
Babies who are now wondering where is Mummy.
And they are getting hungry.
Feeling miserable and left alone.
A tragedy in their lives that soon will end as well because nobody, nobody will take care of them.

Now, one may say: but they are just mice.
Why so sentimental?
That is not fair.
If you as a human being are left alone to die and you feel miserable, will it help you to realize that you are just one out of 7 billion people so what is your problem?
No, you will consider your life most important in spite of us being with over 7 billion.
Hence, why is the life of a mouse then less important?

All these reflections resulted in a decision.
Not to kill mice anymore.
To look for a mouse trap that catches them alive.
Like a sort of cage with a trap door.


When a mouse is inside, the cage can be brought to an area at a distance too far away for a mouse to walk back.
And there the rodent is released.

It is not the perfect solution, but at least the animal is not killed.

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To get a mouse trap without killing them, click on:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DINGG?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwgregladenc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000DINGG






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