Mice build nests in Dutch F-16 jets

Mice seeking shelter in the cold Dutch winter found a short-lived home inside four Dutch air force F-16 fighter jets by building nests with wiring they had gnawed loose.

Mice seeking shelter in the cold Dutch winter found a short-lived home inside four Dutch air force F-16 fighter jets by building nests with wiring they had gnawed loose, an air force spokeswoman said on Thursday.

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"We are based next to a large nature reserve and as it's winter, mice seek warm places to shelter," said Kirsten Regnery, an air force spokeswoman at the Leeuwarden F-16 base in the north of the country.

The mice nests and damaged cables were found recently in F-16s that were awaiting a major maintenance overhaul. Regnery said the army was called in to make the jet hangars "mice unfriendly" with traps and poison.

"The planes have been serviced, have new wiring and are airborne again," she added.