RATS SQUAT IN SNOWBANK
N.D.G. gas station calls exterminator after complaint
A large mound of snow is serving as a makeshift hotel for a family of rats at one of the busiest intersections of Notre-Dame-de- Grâce.
Located at the base of the Shell gas station sign, near a bush on Somerled Ave. at the corner of Cavendish Blvd., the mound of snow is home to all sorts of wildlife, including pigeons and squirrels, feeding off bread and seeds that passersby leave for them.
The mound became the talk of the city after someone posted a video on Facebook of the rats going in and out to feed on the pile of food left for them during a snowy winter’s evening.
“I think it’s dangerous because you have the food bank here, and it seems like there is a colony here,” said area resident Dave Furlotte, who was walking by on Friday afternoon.
“These things have to be eradicated. We don’t know what these things are carrying.
“I have no idea how big the colony is, but you have entrances and exits. There are at least four holes here.”
During an hour on Friday afternoon, rats with brown and black fur, looking like oversized gerbils, could be seen popping out of different holes, running to feed on seeds and crumbs of food left on the snow, and then running back quickly to their holes. There were often two, or even three, rats running out of the mound at the same time.
Furlotte said he’s seen the rats in that spot for several months and is disgusted that some people seem to be feeding them.
“A woman said to me, ‘the rats need a place to live,’ ” he said.
Some concerned citizens phoned the city at 311 on Thursday when they saw the video on the Parents NDG Facebook page.
Christian Arseneault, the city councillor for the Loyola district where the rat hotel is located, said the city will be working quickly to get rid of the rats.
“Within a few hours, we determined it’s on private property, so we’ll be sending someone from the permits and inspection team to make sure the gas station takes care of cleaning it up as soon as possible,” Arseneault said.
Aladdin Gouadr, the retailer who runs the Shell station said on Friday that he hadn’t received any communication from the city, but he won’t wait to call an exterminator.
“We’ll call a company to check this out, but we can assure people that there are no rats or even mice inside the station,” he said after seeing the rats for the first time on Friday.
He added rats generally live in the sewer system and there are two storm sewer grates on either side of the snow mound, so perhaps the city has to make repairs to its sewer, as well.
Frank Pulcini, the owner of Central Extermination in Montreal, said he’s surprised to see rats in an outdoor structure.
“I haven’t seen this before. It’s not something you commonly see, but I guess it is possible,” Pulcini said.
He said that, as long as people don’t get too close, they’re not a threat. Rats are often skittish around humans, and won’t attack unless they feel threatened.
“Generally, they’re more afraid of humans than we are of them,” he said.
He added that rats live in the sewer, and they ’ll only live outside the sewer when there’s a break in a pipe.
Arseneault said that if there is a problem with the storm sewers in the area, the city will address it.
“Even if it’s on someone’s private property, there is a chance they came through public infrastructure,” he said.
“We have to figure out what happened so we can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”