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Electric rat traps kill six farmers in Central Java
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Local authorities and residents carry the body of a farmer found dead in a rice field in Sragen, Central, Java on May, 8. Sragen has reported six casualties of electric rat traps installed in many rice fields in the region. (kompas.com/-)
S
ix farmers in Sragen regency, Central Java, have been electrocuted to death in the past month by electric rat traps installed in rice fields.
Sragen Regent Kusdinar Untung Yuni Sukowati warned farmers against installing electric rat traps, saying that it violated the law.
“If someone dies [because of the electric rat traps], we will sue the owner of the rice field who installed the traps. Criminal law will apply,” Yuni said on Tuesday during a COVID-19 education program conducted in Kicik village of Tanon district, Sragen, as quoted by kompas.com.
Yuni also told the subdistrict heads present during the program to tell farmers about the ban on electric rat traps.
Read also: Sukoharjo farmers wage war on rats in ‘extermination’ contest
Sragen’s Office of Agriculture and Food Security head Eka Rini Mumpuni Titi Lestari also issued a circular regarding the ban, which has been disseminated to village heads and respective military and police officers.
“We issued a circular to the field agriculture instructors in each district so they can forward it to their counterparts in villages,” Eka said.
She advised farmers to use harmless and environmentally friendly rat traps in addition to fumigating rat nests and keeping owls as a natural predator instead of using electric traps.
“The use of electric traps for rat control is not recommended because they are very dangerous and can result in the death of animals and people in rice fields,” Eka said, adding that the use of electric traps was especially dangerous in cases of floods.
“We ask all parties to educate and inform the public that the use of electricity to kill rats is not recommended and is banned,” she went on to say. (mfp)
