RATS

I sympathise with your point of view, Lucius, but the Rat was always been associated in History by manwith the Black Death and other diseases, the ruining and spoiling of crops growing in the fields and food being stored in Barns. While Bubonic plague is, hopefully, a thing of the past unfortunately Weil's Disease is not and kills on average two to three people each year.
So the Rat is historically at a disadvantage, seen as a threat, a disease carrier, a spoiler of food, etc and that image is almost impossible to change in the Public's perception.
I do agree with you that poisoning is in reality slow and cruel and of course any scavenging animal finding a poisoned Rat will also die if it eats it. The "guessemate" for the total population of rats in the UK is around the 11 million mark and is on the increase due to the availability of food everywhere.
I do salute your thinking and kindness to animals though

 

Lucius, whilst I also applaud your sentiment for rats I shall still do all in my power to keep them from the garden.

We had to condemn two wooden sheds because of them (ate large holes in walls and floor - apart from destroying a lot of the contents) but they had a quick death by shooting. Another did a lot of damage in the loft (poisoned it) and it measured 3ft from nose to tip of tail! One killed a neighbour's kitten and was despatched by the kitten's parents (neighbour saw it happen).

So I shall only bear goodwill towards them as long as they stay in the fields around us and don't encroach on our lives. They have plenty of field space, we just have our garden.