There is a rat problem around Haney Place mall that isn't getting better.
Nothing short of a small operation to capture and relocate or exterminate the hundreds hopefully not thousands of black rats that are beginning to infest our community. They have moved into the crawlspaces and probably walls of some. Internet chatter is growing about it.
I don't know what the best course of action is but we need to do something.
I do know leaving out poison is usually a problem. It was a year ago when dogs were poisoned. You don't want people that can't even keep garbage in a can to start messing with poisons.
Cheap laminated signs summarizing basic practices for minimizing pests and to eliminate potential rat habitats (like that hole in your patio footing?). That would just be the first line of defense.
Same prevention tactics apply for raccoons as cute and docile as they are. They don't last long walking the streets so we try to peacefully coexist with them. They seldom cause a problem unless (can you guess?) leave your trash unsecured. There are many ways to work with this.
Then we would have to round up the ones that are already there. There are a few ways that could go. Humane or not humane elimination or catch and relocate - but where and who will do it?
The old way would be to offer $5 head and I bet they'd be cleaned up in a real hurry. That's rather old school and may yield kickback, which brings me to my last point.
We would need public approval of whatever process we decide. I'd bet nobody would mind their city putting a bit of money towards an operation to remove these rats. The RCMP does a good job of keeping the homeless out of the area, so now the rats that came with them, can go as well.
Please consider this issue and leave your ideas and stories below.
