CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A plague of mice that has ravaged vast swathes of eastern Australia has forced the evacuation of a prison while authorities repair gnawed electrical wiring and clear dead and decaying mice from wall cavities and ceilings. Prison officials said Tuesday that around 200 staff and 420 inmates will be transferred from the prison in rural New South Wales state to other prisons in the region during the next 10 days while cleaning and repairs take place. Millions of mice have caused havoc in the grain-growing region of Australia’s most populous state for months, devouring crops and haystacks as well as invading homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and prisons. The most common complaint about the plague is an ever-present stench of mice urine and decaying flesh.
Australian prison to be evacuated after mice move in
