Eek a Mouse!

Did anyone catch the weird photo essay about Malawian mice in Sunday’s Burlington Free Press? Five graphic photos chronicled the animal’s death cycle at the hands of humans, captioned “Chased,” “Caught,” “Killed,” “Cooked” and “Sorted and Sold.” Good to see their definition of international news goes beyond pirates and landslides.

It’s true, though, that rodents are fair game in Africa. I’ll never forget buying an unidentified package of Benin’s fast-food equivalent through the window of a train. We’d already left the station by the time I discovered that it was African bush rat, tail and all.

I was almost as surprised to find pictures of dead mice in my Sunday Free Press, sandwiched between a page of stories and an ad for an upcoming Google Analytics seminar. Just below it, an ad for Menopause: The Musical. Whatever it takes to lift a middle-aged woman’s spirits.