What would be the vegan response to something like this?

[Rory17]

Hello ,
I was just watching an episode of Filth, where Pete the pest controller had to deal with a massive infestation of cockroaches. He administered poison .
I have watched at least one video on the Australian mouse plague. I have also watched videos on really big rat infestations.
I love rats. I don’t believe in killing any sentient animals except when absolutely necessary, like in self defence. I absolutely loathe it when people use poisons and lethal traps to kill animals. I can get very upset whenever I suspect someone is doing that, would do that or may do that.
However, it is a tough one when it comes to exceptionally huge infestations. If you write anything against it in the comments online, people can get quite defensive and say things like “I hope you have a massive infestation of rats at your house!”, just for showing compassion and standing up for innocent animals. Why? Is it really so impossible to use humane, live traps and repellents instead of killing? How can I help get people to change their ways and stop doing this? What is the solution?
Thanks.

 

[silva]

Hello ,
I was just watching an episode of Filth, where Pete the pest controller had to deal with a massive infestation of cockroaches. He administered poison .
I have watched at least one video on the Australian mouse plague. I have also watched videos on really big rat infestations.
I love rats. I don’t believe in killing any sentient animals except when absolutely necessary, like in self defence. I absolutely loathe it when people use poisons and lethal traps to kill animals. I can get very upset whenever I suspect someone is doing that, would do that or may do that.
However, it is a tough one when it comes to exceptionally huge infestations. If you write anything against it in the comments online, people can get quite defensive and say things like “I hope you have a massive infestation of rats at your house!”, just for showing compassion and standing up for innocent animals. Why? Is it really so impossible to use humane, live traps and repellents instead of killing? How can I help get people to change their ways and stop doing this? What is the solution?
Thanks.

Prevention is always the best option, but there are times things are out of peoples control.
I once found myself with the most tremendous itching I have ever experienced--itching down to the bone that would subside. A couple days later my cats were batting the side of my bed and I found the small black dots I knew were baby bedbugs. I had gone to a garage sale-in an upscale neighborhood no less- and put a couple things on my bed. Prevention? I've known all my life to put things in the washer and dryer right away, but this out of the ordinary purchase didn't trigger that need. I called an exterminator
Had I not called an exterminator? I could have had an infestation, could have had infections from scratching, would have pretty much lost my mind

Rats bite. They are lovely animals, they have their needs, and they have there own social groups. There are places where they absolutely take over homes, and threaten families, and can destroy their habitats

It's easy to criticize when you don't understand the very different circumstances people live with.
When people say they “I hope you have a massive infestation of rats at your house!” they're most likely frustrated at your inability to understand their situation

 

[Sax]

I often think of it in terms of major and minor interests. Killing animals for flavor is advancing a minor interest...killing animals to protect your own food, shelter, and health is advancing major interests. All life exists at the expense of other life and sometimes that means harming others to protect yourself. Our society is just so saturated with unjustified killing sometimes it's hard to remember that on occasion it IS justified.

 

[majorbloodnok]

Irrespective of my views on a vegan lifestyle, @silva makes a particularly pertinent point that I agree with entirely. Prevention.

Rats won’t live somewhere unless there’s a reason to do so. I have half a dozen re-homed chickens and the combination of eggs and pellets should be a magnet to the rat population, but by making both inaccessible (electric fencing, self closing feeder and so on) we remain rat free. Moreover, if we did have an infestation and brought in an exterminator, we’d still end up in the same situation again if we didn’t sort out the root problem.

I’m not vegan, and have no problem with killing as a part of a pest control solution but that doesn’t mean I want to kill or that I would take such a step lightly. As I see it, removing the pests whether by killing or by humane traps is the last step, not the first, only to be done once the reason for them to return has been dealt with.

Of course, sometimes a problem is allowed for whatever reason to grow until more drastic steps are necessary. I am well aware that some pests harbour diseases or threaten life or health in other ways. Those times are when the wider responsibility becomes an increasingly important factor, and available options become increasingly limited. However those occasions are hopefully relatively rare and one can for the most part focus on controlling access to what attracts the pests in order to avoid infestations in the first place.