Rats

[melv16]

Is it legal to catch a rat in a humane trap and release it again elsewhere?
I know you can't do this with grey squirrels.

[rowanwitch]

Who would know.....I'd release a squirrel too

[kvalidir]

Just do it who the heck is going to know x

[melv16]

I'd shoot the rat. A neighbour 5 doors up keeps chickens and the garden is a complete mess. My neighbour and the house above have got rats in their houses, probably coming from the other house. The house with the chickens have caught several rats and released them and don't seem overly concerned about the problem.

[Buenchico]

The rats around the chickens are probably brown rats (Rattus norvegicus). Releasing them into the wild is legal.

It's only black rats (Rattus rattus) that Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits from being released without a licence. (Black rats tend to only be found around port areas).

[Peter Pedant]

o god kill it
vermin ... ugh
dont let it wee over you either

the idea of doing anything to a rat beside terminating its life is - -- well -- - madness

(Black rats tend to only be found around port areas).
I am astounded any are found i n England at all
( the only carrier of plague - last outbreak 1908 east anglia)

[Maydup]

I think you need to have a chat with your local authority about the rat situation. No need to mention the neighbour catching them and releasing them, just explain that the two houses are infested which is the main issue, and you need help as its affecting your house and garden.

[-SharonA-]

As I hate both, I would not be releasing either.
I am sure the rats around here are mating with the squirrels as we have squirrels with rat like tails and getting vicious.

[melv16]

The drippy-hippy couple where the rats are being released from, have had a visit from environmental health. They have been told to put a lid on the wire compost bin and tidy the garden...this was last week and nothing's been done yet.