A Mouse's Tale in Oz

A Mouse's Tale in Oz

Police probe pub mouse-eating contest

June 11, 2004

BRISBANE, Australia -- Two Australian drinkers may land in jail after chewing off the tails of live mice in a pub contest for a $346 prize.

The winner of the mice-eating contest at The Exchange Hotel in the eastern city of Brisbane is being sought for questioning, said the Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals.

The other competitor already has been interviewed over the April incident.

Both men face two years in prison and $52,050 fines, RSPCA Chief Inspector Byron Hall said.

Queensland state Primary Industries Minister Henry Palaszczuk urged anyone with any information about the contest to contact authorities.

"Chewing a mouse and spitting it out is not entertainment, it is barbaric," said Palaszczuk. "All animals deserve respect. How we treat animals is a measure of how civilized our society is. "

Owners of the hotel condemned the contest on Friday and promised it would never happen again. "We are embarrassed this incident occurred at our hotel," said senior manager Scott Agnew.