'They're Everywhere': Mice Plague Hits Queensland Region of Australia

A mice plague has hit the Queensland region of Australia, with residents claiming "they're everywhere."

The North Burnett region has seen a dramatic increase in the rodents scuttling about towns and homes over the past few weeks, 7 News Sunrise reported.

And, many citizens have even found bite marks on their bodies after a night's sleep.

A local veterinarian, Nathan Hitchcock, told ABC Australia that weather changes are likely the cause for the sudden growth in the mice population. With a mild winter and a wet summer, grass growth has boomed, creating the perfect habitat for mice to thrive.

"I see mice running across the roads at night [and] in the last few days I've seen them in the daytime as well, which is very unusual. They're just everywhere," Hitchcock told ABC.

"The grass does two things—it provides the mice with cover, which is protection from predators. And, it also provides them with this enormous food source."

Mice also breed quickly, and according to Dr Hitchcock "two mice can turn into 12 mice in 20 days."

A local resident, Joe Kneebone told 7 News Sunrise, that he was catching as many as 300 mice every day, in traps that he set around his farm.

"They're everywhere," he said. He also said the rodents were "not afraid at all."

"We can't even keep chook [chicken] feed here because they find the barrel, bore holes straight through it and then have an absolute field day.

"Even driving along the roads at night time you see them running across the road," he told the news outlet. "We're pretty lucky, we've got a brand new house so we only get them in the roof, we don't get them inside thankfully."

This is not the first time this type of rodent invasion has happened in Australia.

There are records dating back 1900 showing that mice plagues occur ever four to five years, revealed a report from The Scientist said last year.

However, the 2021 outbreak was the worst in living memory, with record numbers of mice overrunning parts of New South Wales. This meant residents and officials were on high alert for the same problem to occur this year.

Residents have approached the North Burnett region Council for help in dealing with the problem, ABC Australia reported.

Brett Jordan, who owns a rural store in a badly hit area, told ABC Australia that it's "gotten worse," and the council has not offered answers yet. Jordan said locals had approached the North Burnett Regional Council for assistance.

"We're losing stock every night, there's just thousands of them," he told the news outlet.