Many Apathetic Over City’s Rat Problem

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30802, 14 July 1965, Page 5

Many Apathetic Over City’s Rat Problem

Christchurch’s rat problem is not as serious as that in the muttonbird islands, but it is a problem, with quite bad infestations in some places.

A disquieting aspect of the problem is that the occupiers of many infested premises are not taking it seriously. A survey of 181 premises just completed by a Christchurch City Council infestation officer discovered 42 with obvious signs of rat and mice infestation. But in only 13 of them was any action being taken to provide means of control.

The types of premises found to be infested were poultry houses, grain, seed and produce premises, food warehouses, bakeries and pastrycooks’ premises, other commercial buildings, and private residences. The 181 properties inspected are only a small proportion of those in Christchurch which eould be attractive havens for rats, and the result indicates that at least small pockets of infestation—mainly of black rats —are probably widespread throughout the city. A high degree of infestation was found in poultry houses. Of 121 registered poultryhouses inspected, 14 were found to be infested, 13 suspect, and 17 had conditions which could provide harbourage for rats. Only two were being treated. Bad storage, accumulation of rubbish, illkept buildings, easily accesible food, and generally poor housekeeping were listed as the factors producing the right conditions for rat infestations. When those conditions were present, even if there were no obvious signs of rats, the buildings could be considered suspect, or even infested to some degree, and some permanent means of control was necessary.

It was concluded on the other hand that where a building had been deliberately made rat-proof, and where there was good housekeeping and a good storage system, rat infestation would be most unlikely to go undetected. “Hazard” Occupiers of many commercial premises were found to hold the view that the odd rat was an acceptable hazard of their calling, or that rats were unavoidable because of the nature of the materials or foodstuffs kept on their premises.

In other cases rivers, drains, sewers and proximity to railways were blamed for the infestations, and the occupiers took no positive steps against rats until the infestations became so bad that their profits seemed to be in danger. The chief city health inspector {Mr A. P. Millthorpe) said yesterday that these attitudes were wrong. If there were any sign at all of rat infestation, the occupiers of the premises should put their staff to work to eradicate the vermin, or call in a professional pest controller. The city council public health department would be prepared to give its advice and assistance.

Mr Millthorpe said everyone should check his property. for rat harbourage, and lay poison where there was any sign of rats. Poison could be obtained cheaply from the city council or from retail firms. Peak Times

Autumn and spring were the peak times for rat infestation. If the rats were neglected when they were noticed in the autumn they would breed all year round, particularly if they found a satisfactory food supply. Rats carried many types of

disease, and the main danger was -food poisoning, caused by contamination from rat droppings.

Rats were introduced to New Zealand by successive waves of population. The Maoris ‘ brought theirs from the Pacific Islands—perhaps deliberately, because the native rat, kiore, was an important item of diet. Two varieties of rat introduced unintentionally by Europeans have almost completely displaced the native rat. They are the black rat (rattus rattus) and the brown, or Norwegian, rat (rattus norvegibus). The brown rat was a great nuisance to the early settlers in Canterbury. According to a Department of Scientific and Indurtrial Research survey in 1948, the

brown rat is found in colonies on river banks, in inadequately controlled rubbish dumps and in the vicinity of abattoirs, pigsties and fowlhouses. He prefers to live outdoors in burrows. The black rat inhabits factories, suburban gardens and particularly grain and seed stores. He prefers indoor shelter, but he is adventurous and will climb up a building to make his home on an upper floor, whereas the brown rat prefers groundlevel accommodation. Where there are bad fowlhouse infestations, eggs and occasionally young birds are attacked and destroyed. Mills, seed stores, freezing works, grocery shops, florists shops and wharf sheds are the places where most rat damage takes place.