12 mice, 1 lab rat released in school cafeteria
Greenwich, CT (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2006
County: Fairfield

Disposition: Open

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Police are investigating the dumping of more than a dozen white mice and a very pregnant lab rat in the Greenwich High School cafeteria Tuesday afternoon, in what is suspected to be a farewell prank by outgoing seniors. Tuesday was the last day of classes for GHS seniors, who participate in off-campus internships until graduation, Superintendent Larry Leverett said. "They got their prank in before they headed out," Leverett said.

Animal control officers arrived at the school's student center around 1 p.m. to collect the 15 white mice and the rat released during a lunch period, Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm said.
The rodents were corralled by school personnel, but two of the small mice were accidentally crushed underfoot, Halm said. The rat gave birth to a litter of 12 babies later on Tuesday, Halm said.

Police are working with school administrators to identify the pranksters, and criminal charges are possible, said Lt. Daniel Allen, a spokesman for the department. "I certainly would love for the kids that did it to know that it was a criminal act," Halm said. "It's just not fair to the animals. Living creatures shouldn't be part of a joke." Under state law, the abandonment or release of an animal into harm's way is a crime, Halm said. Leverett said that while the prank is relatively tame compared to some other capers, anyone found responsible would face consequences.

Student Government Presi-dent Juliana Pugliese said she heard that a few seniors had committed the prank, and regretted that the year ended with a prank in which animals died. "I know mice were killed," the 17-year-old said. "I think it was horrible."
Leverett said that the presence of a police officer assigned to the school helped administrators respond to the prank. "While this is something that in my view is benign, it is disruptive," Leverett said. "We don't expect that our students will violate school rules and certainly releasing mice is a violation of school rules."

The mice and the rat and her newborns have been placed in cages at the town's animal shelter and are doing fine, Halm said. "It's my understanding that these lab rats are quite intelligent and make good pets," Halm said.

A newspaper notice has been placed offering the animals for adoption, and if they remain unclaimed after a week, they will be entrusted to a pet store in town. Animal control officers were unable to determine if the animals had been purchased locally. "If they were bought locally they probably paid cash, so it would be hard to track," Halm said.

References

• « CT State Animal Cruelty Map

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