http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/about-15-rats-caught-so/1537678.html
News of the Bukit Batok rat problem started circulating online on Wednesday (Dec 17), sparked by a netizen's video of many rats scurrying around the area.
The problem stems from the feeding of stray dogs, according to a joint statement by relevant authorities. The resulting food scraps have attracted rodents and encouraged their infestation.
"The feeding of stray dogs needs to cease," the statement added. "Strict enforcement measures will be taken, and we hope the public will understand and support these measures."
According to Mr Afendi, Senior Manager of Operations at PestBusters, the rodents found at Bukit Batok are commonly known as sewer rats. They may grow up to 40cm in size, and also reproduce very quickly. Cutting their food supply is key to stopping this.
Star Pest Control manager Bernard Chan told Channel NewsAsia on Thursday evening (Dec 18) that the 'search and trap' team mainly used their hands and equipment such as nets to capture the rats, as luring them with conventional rat traps was "not very effective".
The pest control team started work at 8am on Thursday. Rat poison was applied to the burrows at 9am, and a second layer was applied at 6pm, as the rain might have washed the first layer away.
"The poison will take about three to five days to kill the rats. If the rat activity starts to subside, that means the treatment is successful," said Mr Chan.
Many netizens have expressed concerns about the use of rat poison, as dogs have been known to accidentally ingest the poison.
To this, Mr Chan said: "We have already thought about this before carrying out the procedure. The rat poison is not exposed. We made sure to only put the rodenticide in the burrows, so the poison is underground where all the rats are hiding. The stray dogs will not be able to eat the poison by accident."
The pest control operation is expected to continue over the next few days, he said.
Meanwhile, the rat infestation appears to have become a little bit of a draw for crowds. When Channel NewsAsia visited the site on Thursday evening, a crowd of about 40 had gathered to watch pest controllers try to trap rats and treat burrows, with many of the onlookers taking photographs.
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