Rats! Cambridge sees sightings spike amid recent redevelopment - Action News
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Kitchener-Waterloo

Rats! Cambridge sees sightings spike amid recent redevelopment

Rat sightings are on the rise in Cambridge and city officials suspect the recent the redevelopment at a former junk yard may be to blame.

A former junk yard is the suspected source of recent rat sightings in Cambridge

Rats can be attracted by debris and rubbish, so Cambridge city officials recommend homeowners keep all garbage and refuse in water-tight, sealed containers in order to avoid attracting the rodents. (Robert Mecea/The Associated Press)

Rat sightings are on the rise in Cambridge and city officials suspect therecent the redevelopment at a former junk yard may be to blame.

"There's been a number of rat sightings," Dennis Purcell, the chief building officer for the City of Cambridge said, noting many of the reports of vermin have been along Munch Avenue, which joins Hespeler Roadnorth of Avenue Road.

Purcell said there's been plenty of speculation that the source of the rats is aformer junk yard on Munch Avenue,which has recentlybeen been cleaned up to make way for redevelopment asa residential area.

There is much speculation that the redevelopment of a former junk yard in the Munch Avenue area could be to blame for a recent uptick in rat sightings in Cambridge. (Steve Berry/CBC)

"There is some suspicion that there may have been some rat nests that have been disturbed because of the redevelopment," he said. "It's not an uncommon thing to happen."

Purcell also notes that the rat sightings have only coincided with the recent redevelopment of the area and says there a number of easy things homeowners can do to rat-proof their properties.

Rat-proofing tips

"Our biggest recommendation is just to ensure that your property is properly maintained," Purcell said, noting that Cambridge city bylawsput the onus on homeowners to keep their properties pest and vermin free.

Other ways homeowners can rat-proof their propertiesinclude:

  • Keeping theproperty free from debris and rubbish
  • Keeping the lawncut and removing weeds
  • Keeping garbage in water-tight, sealed containers
If rats give you the willies, you might blame natural selection. The bubonic plague, perhaps the most famous rat-associated disease in history, is responsible for killing an estimated 60 per cent of the European population in the 14th century. (Reg Mckenna/Wikimedia Commons)

Purcell said if a homeowner follows all of the above recommendations and rats still pose a problem, he recommends calling a private exterminator to eliminate the pests.