Between confinement and garbage collectors’ strike, rats abound in Toulouse
Nearly a month after the resumption of waste collection, the scars of the strike are still visible in the streets of Toulouse. The heap of garbage favored proliferation of rats in some areas of the city. Residents and traders are getting impatient and want a reaction from the town hall.
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Rodent Invasion
In Lardenne, south-west of Toulouse, several residents expressed their anger: “When the garbage cans overflowed, rats swarmed the streets. They even tore up the garbage bags and a lot of rubbish gathered on the ground” castigates Adeline, resident contacted by The Independent Opinion.
When I walked my dog in the evening, I took detours to avoid walking near garbage cans. The town hall must react, because even with the resumption of garbage collection, rats have become used to staying in the streets,” she continues.
In the city center, more precisely in Jean Jaurès, same problem. Rats scurry through the streets after dark, looking for food. A phenomenon seen for more than a year, in particular with confinement. Fearful in nature, the rats took advantage of the deserted streets to swarm.
To face this invasion, Aïda and her brother, managers of the Lebanese restaurant Byblos on Place Wilson, have set up gates behind their restaurant and have asparagus to rat poison their cellar. “The situation has worsened with the garbage collectors’ strike, the town hall would have to act to overcome it. The presence of rats harms the image of our establishment”, confides Aïda to The Independent Opinion.
Attacking the Rats
For its part, the town hall takes the problem very seriously. Francoise Ampoulangemunicipal councilor, in charge of Animals in the City, explains the action plan to combat the pest.
“The hotspots such as the squares are monitored. We reflect boxes of rat poison there. Once inside, the rodents are trapped and die,” she explains. This is a definitive and non-preventive treatment, declared only in the event of the proven presence of the rodent.
After the major cleanliness problems, particularly related to the garbage collectors’ strike, the Animal in the city service identified several places where rats have become very numerous, especially where food is easily accessible for them. We have therefore drawn up a report with the municipalities of the Metropolis victims of the phenomenon” details the elected official.
Already last November, the district Empalot had set up an “ecological and effective” deratting system. The method ? User ferrets to track down pests. The town hall of Toulouse has declared war on rats!
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