When Dagbladet walks along the streets in the area around Nationaltheatret station in Oslo, you don’t have to look closely to spot a rat or two.
At Nisseberget in Slottsparken you will find a rock wall infested with rats. Piping sounds spread between the twigs, and within a few minutes you see several small heads sticking out.
– They run and jump in shuttle traffic back and forth from this haunt and straight into the rubbish bin. Passers-by splash to the side at a brisk walking pace.
This is what Oslo resident Nina Voss writes in an e-mail to Oslo municipality, which she has given Dagbladet permission to reproduce.
ON THE GO: The rats thrive in the central areas of the capital. Photo: Amalie Bernhus Årtun / Dagbladet Show more
– Go ahead
– We do not have exact figures, but assume that there are twice as many rats as people in Oslo. We can agree that there are more rats than people, says Kari Rigstad, specialist manager at Rentokil pest control.
Rigstad points out that the figures are assumptions. According to Oslo municipality’s website Fat wise there are at least 88,000 rats in the city’s sewers.
– Do not feed birds and animals!
Rigstad explains that rats are a well-known challenge in the big city. She herself has noticed the rats in the areas around Karl Johans gate.
– You don’t have to look long between the bushes to see rats. It is an area known for having a lot of rats, she says.
CROWDS OF PEOPLE: Christmas streets in central Oslo. Here from Karl Johans gate. Photo: Bjørn Langsem / Dagbladet Show more
The accumulation of rats may be due to the fact that there are many people, restaurants and open bins in the area.
– When people throw the sausages in those bins, it’s free for the rats, explains Rigstad.
She is clear that closed rubbish bins are an effective measure, so that the rats cannot get in.
IMPORTANT: Head of department Kari Rigstad points out the importance of rubbish bins with tight lids. Photo: Private Show more
At the same time, she points out that the closed bins may be too inaccessible for passers-by to bother using them.
– You can’t do anything about people throwing sausages in the bushes. It is difficult to change people’s behaviour, says the pest expert.
More measures
A couple of hundred meters away from the rat colony you will find the larger event “Christmas in Winterland”, which thousands of visitors flock to every year.
THE RATS CLIMB: Lillian Hansen reacts to the bin design at Majorstua in Oslo. Video: Tiktok @lillianhansen82. Reporter: Vegard Krüger. view more
In the many stalls, there is a lot of food service in circulation, which in turn brings with it rubbish, which rats seem to appreciate.
Rigstad explains that even if the rats become more visible in connection with such events, it does not mean that there are more of them.
– When the food plate gets fuller, they become more visible. You see them most often at night, but also during the day. The more comfortable they become around people, the more often you see them, she says.
However, Aasmund Lund, press officer for the event, explains that they have several measures to keep the pests away.
Venerable hotel sorry rat-fest
– Rats in the center of Oslo are a major challenge. We take that seriously, says Lund to Dagbladet.
The organizer therefore makes sure that there is no litter around, and regularly empties the bins. He also says that a pest control company keeps coming by.
– All our bins are closed. Those belonging to the municipality are open, and are emptied several times a day by our waste disposal department, explains Lund.
GUFFENT: Mice and rats thrive in cleaner environments, this can lead to them appearing in new construction sites and modern houses. Video: Linn Merete Rognø / Storyblocks / Celina Stamper. view more
Impossible to get rid of
Bård Fladen, press officer at the City Environment Agency, encourages people to throw rubbish in the bins.
– In areas where a lot of the public stays over a period of time, where there is also outdoor food service, care must be taken not to throw the food on the ground, says Fladen.
The municipality takes several measures to combat the pests.
KRYR: People pass a rat that has died in Møllergata in Oslo. Photo: Tor Erik Schrøder / NTB Show more
Anna Lena Beschorner in the Norwegian Water and Wastewater Agency explains that they set out concentrated traps or poison in stressed areas to limit the population.
They have seen a good effect in setting out traps for a six-month period in the relevant areas.
But despite a constant battle against the rats, you will probably never see a rat-free Oslo.
– It is completely impossible. There are no rat-free big cities. The most important thing is that we keep the stock down, explains Beschorner.
2023-11-26 16:49:52
#Free #rats
