City Touts Increase In Rat Baiting Efforts
City Laying More Rat Traps
CHICAGO (CBS) -- City officials said they're winning the war on rodents by laying more rat traps to keep them in check.
WBBM Newsradio's Steve Miller reports not everyone is convinced the city's rat problem is getting better, however.
Some residents in Little Village said the rat problem is better than it used to be, but Russell Salazar – who has lived there for 21 years – disagreed.
"They seem to stay the same, because every once in a while they bait the alleys, and then you don't see them for a while, and then you'll see one or two running by," he said. "Some bigger than cats."
"It's always interesting to see, but they tend to mind their own business. They'll walk by, look at you, and keep going," he added.
Streets and Sanitation Department workers inspected and baited the alley between the 2500 block of South Homan Avenue and the 2500 block of South Christiana Street on Tuesday.
Officials said residents should keep alleys clear of loose garbage, and clean up after their dogs, because trash and feces attract rats.
The city said rodent baiting for the first six months of this year was up 30 percent compared to last year, while request for rodent control dropped by 15 percent.
