Rats, Vandals and Thieves- the headache of uninvited visitors!
Have you ever hosted a party that you weren’t invited to?
The past month on our farm has been nothing short of eventful as we unwittingly hosted a festival of frivolity for several uninvited guests- a far cry from those peaceful days milking cows and growing grass we are used to around here. While we've yet to receive any formal invitations to these unwanted gatherings we’ve certainly experienced the hangover-the damage, the clean up and of course the thumping headache.
The first to arrive at the party were the rats and in true gatecrashing fashion they arrived starving, without a plate of food.
I was perplexed as to why, in a dairy with grain so readily available- more than a rodent could ever want-they insist on eating my wires instead. I’m like, “hey, I’m giving you free food, could you at least be respectful of my property?” But I don’t speak rat any more than I can Swahili, so the message is yet to get through. In just the past few months the damage bill has hit about $10,000. I had set up about 15 rat bait stations around the perimeter of the dairy, neglecting the centre which houses all of the important wiring. The warmth of the wiring looms has proven to the perfect location for a nest or two. I’ve been reading rats like to chew things such as electrical wiring because their teeth are constantly growing as do cat’s claws, so chewing things such as my expensive wiring helps control the growing pains as well as shaping them just as a cat is constantly clawing at everything, especially laps! I don’t want the rats in pain either, mind you- I want them dead!
One of the great things about having 20 kms of river frontage is we have a diverse range of native animals and some great habitats for them, as well as some terrific camping spots with generally poor fishing. One of the downsides of having 20 km of river frontage is I have had 50 people ask me for firewood in the past two months and I simply cannot say yes to everyone though I find it really hard to knock them back- but at least they have the decency to ask. Then there are those who do not ask, inviting themselves onto our property and helping themselves to some timber. It’s not taking the timber that hurts the most, it’s the damage caused to some great patches of bush which needs to be preserved as habitat. Essentially the old rule of leave it better than you find it still applies and we believe the Little Murray River is an underrated community asset. I don’t want to be the mongrel who padlocks gates, but then sadly if people keep stealing firewood I don’t see a great deal of other options available.
The other advantage of padlocks would be putting a small barrier in the way of idiots, such as those we had come in on a motorbike in the middle of the night recently. During their hooning through our property (located at least 2 kms off the main road), they tipped a fuel tank into an irrigation re-use system, cut all of the wiring, took the dip stick, oil filler and radiator cap and threw them in the water as well. To cap off their adventure, they smashed two vacuum pumps and stole a battery causing, at a guess, at least $4000 of damage. Though the money hurts, it’s also the inconvenience- we already have enough issues without more inflicted on us by the two legged, two wheeled rats!
In the spirit of revelry, I had a great conversation with my 13-year-old this week who casually informed me that he was going to drink lots of alcohol when he gets older-this coming from a boy who’s never tasted a single drop of beer.
“Not that light stuff”, he said dismissively, “the proper heavy beer.”
He then continued in their vein with “and if by some strange chance I find that I don’t like beer, then I am intending to try every sort of alcohol there is until I find one that I like.”
Baffled I asked, “what’s bought this on?”
His response made me smile.
“Well, it seems to me that alcohol is one of life’s great adventures- after you turn 18,” he explained.
It’s always important to finish on a good note.
Paul