VietNamNet Bridge – The decision by the Tinh Bien district’s local authorities in An Giang province and the way the mice trap was uninstalled has caused serious environment pollution.

The huge mouse trap was set up by Phan Kim Gioi, a Viet Kieu (overseas Vietnamese) in the US, who tried to develop the “biological trap” model he saw in India; with an aim to both help farmers kill and breed mice to earn money.

Gioi, together with his some friends, have spent 300 million dong to build the farm, then they bought 3 tons of small mice and put them into the farm. Gioi also stocked water with 400 kilos of young fish of different species. Every day, one ton of yellow snails is brought there to serve as the food for the mice.

The farm has been well equipped and installed with special devices which allow mice to go in the farm, but does not them to go out.

Gioi’s farm has been set up not only to breed mice, but it works like a biological trap which lures mice from outside to the farm, where they are kept and they cannot escape.

Nevertheless, Gioi has failed completely with his project, since the local authorities have decided to remove the mice farm, because they fear that the mice may escape from the farm and damage the rice fields.

On July 22, when reporters arrived to the 10,000 square meter mice farm, they saw a group of students paddling in shadow water to fish dead bodies of mice.

Nguyen Van Na, the manager of the farm, said that the Tinh Bien town people’s committee released a decision on coercing to remove the farm.

“They pumped water into the farm. Therefore, mice got frightened and they hid in the mouse holes. After that, they did many other things, which then killed all the mice, including the ones in the holes,” Na said.

However, the problem is that the dead bodies of the mice cannot be collected. According to Na, only 1/10 of the dead mice have been collected, while the other dead bodies have caused terrible pollution to the environment.

Na said there is a very simple way to catch mice. However, the officials of the localities chose the worst solution. Not only did mice die in the holes, but fish in the ponds were also killed, and the mango orchards would also die because it is inundated.

While the local authorities have been insisting on eliminating the mice farm, because they fear the mice may escape from the farms and damage the rice fields, local people say they like the mouse trap.

Chau The, a farmer, said that his rice field works have been eased thanks to the Gioi’s mice farm. “I could not have to use raticide like in previous year, while I still have high yield,” he said.

“I do not worry about mice any more, because mice all flow into the Gioi’s farm,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Professor Dr. Vo Tong Xuan, a Vietnamese famous agronomist, has expressed his support to the farm model. “Gioi’s farm can be described as a huge mouse trap. The model is so ideal because it can lure mice in a natural way, no need to buy raticide, set up traps and no need to worry about the environmental pollution,” Xuan said.

“Instead of ordering to eliminate the farm, the local authorities should order to make research and develop the model,” he continued.

Source: Dat Viet