Public Works Group Blog

Getting Calls about Rats?

I think most of us working in public works have at one time or another gotten the “rat call.” In our city, we had one person who called annually about “rats coming out of the sewer.” We would call the exterminator, and the problem would appear to be solved for that year. Of course, we never got calls from other residents, and I always wondered if the rats came to this particular home because this person placed food out on a picnic table each day for the local wildlife. I even stopped by one day after getting a call to check something else out at this address, and a squirrel followed me into this person’s home.

Anyway, when we get calls like this it is nice to have a little background knowledge. So today, when I saw a study funded by the National Science Foundation, I thought I better call some attention to it. Working in this field, you never know when this type of information might come in handy.

You can view the report by clicking the title below:
City Rats Loyal to Their ‘Hoods, Scientists Discover

And if you have any rat stories of your own, feel free to share them in the comments.