RATS CAUSE MUCH SERIOUS DAMAGE AT WHAKATANE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 19, 1 August 1949, Page 5

RATS CAUSE MUCH SERIOUS DAMAGE AT WHAKATANE

Because of its proximity to a river Whaaktane is very prone to rats and a hurried survey of the town reveals that nearly all business premises are troubled by them. In food stores particularly, the loss from rats every year amounts to many hundreds of pounds and the problem of trying to eradicate them is very serious.

Coming from the river into the business area rats are so numerous that a continual war has to be waged to stop them over running the town. In one merchant store alone rats are so numerous at night that they completely take charge arid the results of their nocturnal visits can be seen in the damaged goods left behind the following day. During week-ends the rodents have a glorious time, as the staff well knows after cleaning up the mess every Monday morning.

This particular store estimates the loss caused by rats as from £2OO to £3OO a year, not so much from the damage but by the time put in cleaning up the mess and repairing the destruction.

' Grain is an attractive food and piled high in the store rooms the beasts are quick to take advantage of it. Sacks torn from end to end immediately make the grain pig food. Every few weeks a clean up is made of the grain to resack it and straighten the piles. In the last tidying up 150 sacks were inspected and 30 had to be replaced.

Every poison on the market Has been used by this mercantile store without the desired results. Traps are ignored and* the only effective derodent experienced so far is cyanide gas but this is barred because of food.

The problem of rats was referred to a grocer on the river side of the Strand. He said he was not troubled by them because of the cats wondering near his premises. “Those are the best rat catchers. .Keep cats and you won’t be troubled by rats,” he declared. This is apparently supported by several other businessmen of the town who keep cats and find it a cheap method of keeping out rats. But even so the problem of rats at Whakatane is very serious. According to one rat harrassed business man, everyone in the town should be made to fight rats.

“I do my best,” he said, “but whatever my efforts are they can be just about useless if my next door neighbour refuses to do anything.”