Brazen cat-sized rats

Titirangi residents and businesses affected by the infestation of large, brazen rats are being told to lay their own traps. Residents and businesses in the Titirangi village centre have called for Auckland Council’s help in controlling the area’s booming rat population which has seen cat-sized rodents scurrying through the village in broad daylight. Many believed a large part of the problem was the overfeeding of the village chickens which left the rats plenty to feast on. But, the council had limited powers to control chickens, rats or the feeding of non-native species, Wait¯akere Ranges Local Board chairman Greg Presland said. “It is possible that the rats are associated with a chicken infestation which has been a long-standing problem.”