Linda Strand from Surnadal has now been sentenced in the case, where she had made a mousetrap constructed from a bucket of water and antifreeze. The mice were lured to the bucket by a teddy bear, and died as a result of drowning in the bucket. Linda Strand was plagued by mice in the house and took action with this self-constructed mouse trap. Photo: Privat Strand had to appear in court last week, after the animal welfare organization Noah reported her to the police. The Møre and Romsdal District Court has today sentenced Strand for breaching the Animal Protection Act. Strand must pay a fine of NOK 6,000, but was not ordered to pay court costs. It was TV 2 that first reported the verdict. Took mouse plague into own hands Strand was plagued with a lot of mice in his 400-year-old house. After trying many other methods to get rid of the mouse, he made a self-constructed trap. A post with a picture of the trap on Facebook led the animal protection organization Noah to react and report it to the police. The trap was placed in a barn next to the house. There it attracted many mice. The mice fell into the bucket with antifreeze mixture, a mixture that makes the mice unable to swim. During the trial, Strand himself stated that several hundred mice were killed within 2–3 days. Animal welfare sound or not? The court made a decision as to whether or not the killing is justifiable in terms of animal welfare. They concluded that it is not. The court concluded that euthanasia which prevents the animal from breathing can only take place if there is no alternative way of euthanizing the animal. In this case, they believed that Strand could choose other alternatives. The court concluded that Section 12 of the Animal Welfare Act had been infringed. The court further considers that the act took place intentionally or with gross negligence, and that it is therefore punishable. – Can’t take several hundred mice with a clap trap and a cat – The woman I have represented accepts the sentence with composure, says deputy attorney Thor Kleppen Sættem. Lawyer Thor Kleppen Sættem met in court together with defendant Linda Strand. Photo: Solveig Nyhus Aksnes / news He adds that Strand is nevertheless disappointed and does not understand how the court could end up the way they did. – It’s about her having a house where mice and vermin had completely taken over. She doesn’t quite understand how she would manage to get over it without the euthanasia method she used, says the lawyer. – With several hundred mice, you won’t get far with a pet trap and a cat. A method used by many The method that was used is common all over the country, the lawyer believes. – There are hundreds – if not thousands – who have killed mice in this way. It is a coincidence that the woman I now defended was convicted. Others are probably just as unaware that this is not legal, as the court concluded today. So this is a rather fierce complaint against all those who have used this method, says Sættem. He adds that well-known chain stores sell buckets meant to lure mice in. – Then there are probably different understandings as to whether you are allowed to fill the buckets with water or antifreeze, or whether you are meant to carry the buckets with you and let the mice loose far out in the forest, says Sættem. The woman has not decided whether she will appeal the case or not.
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Linda Strand sentenced in mouse killing case – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
