Mouse racing is an activity in which live rodents are coaxed to travel through a miniature racecourse at fast speeds.
[3] In many contemporary races, an individual mouse trainer organizes the event using his own animals and invites spectators to make bets, with the proceeds often going to some specific cause.
[5] The famous World War II movie, Stalag 17, features a scene with mouse racing in a barracks.
[6] Australia continues to hold a national Mouse Cup in rural Bylong, which attracts about 800 participants.
More recently, animal rights societies in New Zealand criticized mouse races at local taverns, noting that the often-loud audiences could frighten the mice with their cheering.