Cape Breton residents raise concerns about rats

John Sullivan has lived on his property in the Ashby neighbourhood in Sydney, N.S., for 30 years, and he's sick of finding burrow holes in his backyard.

"My neighbourhood - we're infested up here with rats,” Sullivan told CTV Atlantic on Tuesday.

Sullivan said he has seen 16 rats on his property since the snow melted.

A few years back, he found more than 30, and he feels more should be done to prevent rodents from having the run of his neighbourhood.

"I witnessed them running in my driveway last week here,” Sullivan said. “One got hit with a car. That's a good thing. That's another one we don't have to worry about, but he was going across the street to feed on another guy's garbage can."

Richard MacDonald, owner of Cape Breton Pest Control, said he has been getting more calls lately, some as far away as Antigonish, N.S.

He couldn't pinpoint any particular reason why there seems to be an increase in vermin lately, but says spring often comes with a spike in rodent activity.

"There's still some garbage leftover from the snow melt. Green bins, bird feeders are out and about so there's lots of food,” MacDonald said. "(We’re finding) rats in houses, in businesses, outside sometimes only, just out around the yard. A lot of vehicles."

In an interview with CTV Atlantic's Todd Battis, John and Elizabeth Abell, owners of Abell Pest Control, said their teams across the country have reported an unexpected amount of pest-related calls for this time of year.

"There's something about the warmer weather," Elizabeth Abell said.

Cape Breton Regional Municipality councillor Eldon MacDonald said he recently had to hire a trapper for a raccoon on his own property, noting there is nothing the municipality can do in terms of a widespread solution.

"Realistically, when you think about how many properties in the municipality there are, we would never be able to have an exterminator go into every property, every street, every neighbourhood and try to put down whether it's live traps or poison or method of control - we would never be able to do that across the municipality," MacDonald said.

Sullivan said he has contacted his councillor and his MLA about the issue and as a taxpayer feels something should be done.

"I shouldn't be here asking or begging for help again,” Sullivan said. “We've got a rat problem. Solve it."

MacDonald hopes increased efforts by the municipality to deal with vacant properties might help reduce the rodent problem.

"Rodents in specific are opportunistic," John Abell said. "Prevention is making sure your house is well-sealed,

"Pests need food, shelter and water. You interfere with any one of those things and you can actually control a pest situation."

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