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Concerns over therapy ferrets used to kill rats at UK’s largest children’s prison
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2026
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Isn't it better to use natural methods of killing rats? I thought ferrets were natural enemies of rats and thus the perfect way to get rid of them. No poison leeching into the ground or killing things like birds. It's like using goats instead of lawnmowers.
Having a ferret whose muzzle is covered in feral rat blood cuddling up with traumatized children sounds like the first chapter of The Hantavirus Horde
I don’t know if this is part of the reasoning but ferrets actually have an immune system that is very similar to humans and are used in medical research for that very reason. When I had one I always had to be careful with her when I was sick because she would catch it otherwise. Ferret sneezes are surprising and adorable.
I believe you want sheep instead of goats (bc they destroy everything). And it indeed sounds way logical. Tho maybe rats have diseases that can affect ferrets and after them humans?
Edit: after reading the article - they let the ferrets kill rats in front of the children. Now that's a different story....
Sheep are good for straight grass. Goats are good for weeds and anything else remotely plant-like. Goats more often get used to manage things like road medians and otherwise uncultivated land/hillsides for weed control.
So sheep to mow, Goats to kill weeds and shrubbery! And free fertilizer in meantime. :)