The mouse infestation at the Wellington Correctional Centre broke down parts of the prison building’s infrastructure, damaging internal wiring and ceiling panels.
Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Peter Severin said Tuesday inmates would be transferred to other prisons, and staff would be relocated while authorities battle the infestation.
“The health, safety and well-being of staff and inmates is our number one priority so it’s important for us to act now to carry out the vital remediation work,” Severin said.
The remediation process would also investigate how the prison can be protected from future mouse plagues.
Steve Henry, a researcher with CSIRO, the national scientific body, said the mice broke into the prison as a result of its location in a rural area.
“There are lots of fields with crops around the jail,” he said. “The mice invaded the jail looking for food and shelter as the weather gets colder outside.”
Parts of Australia have been plagued by mice since last August….
