An Ottawa mother set traps to kill a mischief of rats after she says she was driving and noticed one of the rodents in the back of her vehicle, just centimetres away from her baby daughter.
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Cora Young says she was driving on a highway in Ottawa when she saw, in her rearview mirror, a rat next to her one-year-old daughter, who was sitting in the back seat.
Once she pulled her daughter from the vehicle, Young says she noticed what appeared to be holes, chewed by rats, in parts of the backseat, the infant car seat and even her daughter’s winter coat.
“It was disturbing to see and within (the next) 42 hours, I put out traps (and) I killed seven rats,” Young told CTV Ottawa.
Rick Chiarelli, the councillor for Young’s neighbourhood, said the abundance of construction in Ottawa is likely to blame for the increase in rat sightings.
“There were a couple of construction sites that seem to have material that may have been attracting the rat population so they’re looking at dealing with property owners,” he said.
Mark Davis, the manager of Go! Pest Control, said they’ve seen an increase people reporting rat infestations and suggests the city’s light rail project is also displacing rodents.
