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Mice munch through campsites, cars as rodents infest B.C. provincial park

The mournful cry of a loon or the fleeting sight of an elk or moose help round out the wilderness experience at any of B.C.’s provincial campsites.

KELOWNA, B.C. — The mournful cry of a loon or the fleeting sight of an elk or moose help round out the wilderness experience at any of B.C.’s provincial campsites.

Fending off rodents intent on nibbling your carefully measured supplies of granola or s’mores does not.

But campers say an infestation of mice has overrun the north campsite of Okanagan Provincial Park, south of Kelowna.

There are complaints the furry pests squeeze through tiny openings to scamper inside vehicles parked at the campsite, prompting some visitors to resort to rat poison to keep the critters at bay.

Okanagan region parks spokesman Mark Weston says the marauding mice are considered a natural problem that should be controlled by area predators.

He discourages the use of rat poison, saying it could be lethal to children or other animals, but says if there are more complaints about mice in cars, the park service could rethink its hands-off approach to the infestation.