Nur Afifah bte Ariffin, Channel NewsAsia 17 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE: A rat infestation has been spotted in the vicinity of Bukit Batok MRT station. Simulation system operator Ryan Keith, 33, is a longtime Bukit Batok resident, and recorded a video of the rat infestation on Tuesday evening (Dec 16), at the hill just beside the train station.
"I was there for about 10 minutes and I think I saw more than 50 rats," he told Channel NewsAsia. "This spot is near to many eateries, and rats can breed very quickly and bite through wires, so I am quite concerned."
He said he has approached the National Environment Agency (NEA) about the problem, and they told him that "they will look into it".
Channel NewsAsia understands that this is a plot of state land under the management of the Housing and Development Board (HDB), as an agent of the Singapore Land Authority. Channel NewsAsia has approached the HDB for comment.
When Channel NewsAsia visited the area on Wednesday evening, more than 30 rats were seen scurrying about, although residents say that the number may sometimes be higher.
The MRT station is adjacent to several food establishments, including McDonald's and a hawker centre.
Some McDonald's staff Channel NewsAsia spoke to said they are worried that the rats might eventually enter the restaurant.
A pack of stray dogs were also spotted near the rats' nest. Cleaners working at the MRT station said they have seen people feeding the dogs in the evening, despite a large sign that forbids them from doing so. Residents also said that the remnants of the food given to the dogs are eventually eaten by the rats. The rats appear aggressive, and the dogs seem afraid of them.
Some residents are worried about the diseases that these rats and stray dogs may carry, and are calling for the authorities to take action.
"One day, if they run out of food, they will just go to the eateries around here. They might even run to the station and people might get bitten," said a resident Channel NewsAsia spoke to.
Another concerned resident said: "Before, there were just a lot of stray dogs. Recently you can see a lot of mice running all over the place. I think the authorities should do something about this because there are a lot of food stalls here. It is dangerous."
- CNA/ac/dl
Rat ‘infestation’ sighted near Bukit Batok MRT station
Today Online 17 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE — A video of a large colony of rats residing near Bukit Batok MRT station is causing concern among netizens.
Facebook user Ryan Keith Smith yesterday (Dec 16) uploaded videos and photos on his page of what appeared to be several rats scurrying around a grass patch.
Mr Smith said the footage was recorded next to Bukit Batok MRT station. He also published an email he sent last night to the Ministry of Health, the Choa Chu Kang Town Council, the National Environment Agency and several Members of Parliament who serve in the constituency.
In the email he urged the relevant authorities to look into the matter “for the safety of the residents”, especially considering the eateries and supermarkets in the vicinity.
This is not the first complaint of rats in the area. Earlier this month, another report had appeared in local media regarding the “infestation”.
Complaints of rat infestation near Bukit Batok MRT station
AsiaOne 17 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE - First it was 10 rats, then 20 on another day, then one night, commuter Madam Lin spotted more than 30 rats scurrying about the grass patch next to the Bukit Batok MRT station.
Madam Lin, 48, a technician, called Lianhe Wanbao's hotline about the rat infestation last Wednesday. She told the Chinese evening daily about witnessing rats scurrying up and down the grassy slopes beside the station daily for about a month.
She is not the only one. The Straits Times reported today (Dec 17) that another Bukit Batok resident, Mr Ryan Keith Smith, complained about the situation on his Facebook page.
Mr Smith uploaded pictures and a video of the rats on Dec 16.
The harrowing video shows rats running wild in broad daylight.
According to The Straits Times and a screengrab in one of his comments on the page, Mr Smith e-mailed photos of the rats to several parties, including the Choa Chu Kang Town Council, the National Environment Agency and MPs who serve in the constituency.
In the Facebook post showing the colony of rats, he wrote: "Imagine these rats nightly intrusion into all the eateries and supermarkets in the vicinity in order to survive and procreate.
"Our Government would be really proud if these are part of our population headcounts to 6.9 million and counting... Am sure Hong Kah North Town Council needs the help of Pied Piper."
According to Wanbao last week, the grassy slopes have become a "rats' playground", with residents saying the situation has worsened in recent days.
Bukit Batok rat infestation: Pest controllers step in
Xabryna Kek Channel NewsAsia 18 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE: Pest controllers sent by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) were seen at a hill just beside the Bukit Batok MRT station on Thursday (Dec 18), in response to reports of a rat infestation.
More than 10 pest control officers from Star Pest Control were seen trapping the rats in cages, after they first arrived at around 8am. Star Pest Control manager Bernard Chan said they had sent two teams of people to treat the burrows where the rats were living in, and a few were caught when they ran out of the burrows.
"We were treating the burrows this morning, so a few of them ran out," said Mr Chan. "The 'active time' for the rats will be in the evening, when you will see more coming out."
"For the later part of the day, when we finish up the operation, we will eliminate the rats ... we will just kill them," he added, when asked what will happen to the trapped rats.
When Channel NewsAsia visited the area on Wednesday evening, more than 30 rats were seen scurrying about, although residents say that the number may sometimes be higher. The MRT station is adjacent to several food establishments, including McDonald's and a hawker centre.
RODENT SITUATION AN "ISOLATED CASE"
However, a sales assistant at Bakery Point, Ms Eileen Ng, told Channel NewsAsia on Thursday that business was not affected by the infestation and no rats were found on its premises.
A Bukit Batok resident, Ms Gina Cheng, also downplayed the infestation as an "isolated case", adding that she did not think the rats would go to other parts of Bukit Batok. However, she pointed out that the stray dogs might be most affected by the rat infestation.
"I'm more concerned about the safety of the stray dogs," said Ms Cheng. "They are certainly the victims here - they have nowhere to go except this hilltop. The rodents issue, yes, the town council has to settle, but more so (address) the safety of the stray dogs."
"It could be because some residents here feed the dogs in an irresponsible way, so the rodents go after the leftover food," she added.
On Tuesday, Bukit Batok resident Ryan Keith had recorded the rat infestation at Bukit Batok on video, saying that he saw more than 50 rats in 10 minutes.
- CNA/av
About 15 rats caught so far at Bukit Batok infestation: Pest controllers
Marcus Mark Ramos and Nur Afifah bte Ariffin, Channel NewsAsia 18 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE: "About 15 or 16" rats have been captured so far at the site of the Bukit Batok rat infestation, according to pest controllers sent by the Housing and Development Board (HDB).
News of the 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 from the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the National Environment Agency (NEA), Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and Jurong Town Council.
The resulting food scraps have attracted rodents and encouraged their infestation, the statement said. The infestation had been "kept under control" due to measures such as fencing to keep stray dogs away from common areas, and notices to remind the public not to feed the stray dogs.
However, the issue resurfaced in recent months due to "continuous indiscriminate feeding of the dogs in the area by feeders," the statement said.
"We have intensified our pest control measures to eradicate the rodents and in response to public complaints on aggressive stray dogs, we are continuing with stray dog control operations. However, for these efforts to be effective, 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."
Some food stall operators Channel NewsAsia spoke agreed that the infestation has escalated in the past month. They often find rats at food disposal spots, and have also seen people feeding stray dogs in the area, with the food remnants eventually eaten by rats.
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.
Said Mr Afendi: "The more food they can find, the faster the (rate) of the infestation will be. Rodents are very territorial, and they multiply very fast. As such, they would have to look for other food avenues."
To eradicate the issue of the infestation, Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC David Ong said the authorities have to stop the indiscriminate feeding of stray animals. The site of the rat infestation falls under Mr Ong's area.
"I think we need to educate more of the public not to feed these stray animals indiscriminately, like tossing food over the fences or lay food in the open. Second, of course, we also need to get the NEA to step up in terms of enforcement to make sure we do not have littering of food in the area," Mr Ong told Channel NewsAsia.
PEST CONTROLLERS' PROGRESS ON BATTLING INFESTATION
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".
Mr Chan added that the rats did not appear as often on Thursday due to the rain. The field is also "very slippery" as a result of bad weather, making it hard for the pest controllers to chase after the rats. After the rats were caught, glue was used to prevent them from escaping, Mr Chan said.
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.
RAT INFESTATION DRAWS CROWDS
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.
Mr Sundram Subbramaniam, who is not a Bukit Batok resident, said he happened to be in the area and decided to catch the pest controllers in action.
"I have been seeing this in the news and on social media, and since I am coincidentally here to drop off a letter today, I just wanted to see what was happening at the moment," he said. "I would like to salute all these pest control people for the great job they have done with the infestation so far. They continued to catch the rats despite the bad weather."
- CNA/dl
Bukit Batok rat infestation due to people feeding stray dogs, say authorities
OLIVIA HO Straits Times 18 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE - Rat infestations will not stop unless people stop feeding stray dogs and leaving food around for the rodents to feast on.
The authorities said that even though they have been carrying out anti-pest operations, the problem won't go away unless people stop feeding the stray dogs in Bukit Batok, a joint statement released on Thursday by the Housing Development Board (HDB), the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA), and Jurong Town Council stated.
"We have intensified our pest control measures to eradicate the rodents and in response to public complaints on aggressive stray dogs, we are continuing with stray dog control operations. However, for these efforts to be effective, the feeding of stray dogs needs to cease. Feeders should also not interfere with stray dog control operations and tamper with traps and other equipment," said the statement.
The group of government agencies also said that the indiscriminate feeding of stray dogs in the area by the public has led to leftover food scraps.
"This has in turn attracted rodents and given rise to their infestation," they said.
The statement warned: "Rodents will proliferate whenever food sources are available, due to improper disposal of food or leftovers from the feeding of strays. Rodent control measures will fail as long as the root cause is not resolved."
According to the statement, the rat-busting operation was supplemented by other measures that targeted the feeding of stray dogs. These include putting up fencing to keep the dogs away from the common areas, conducting stray dog control operations and putting up notices to remind the public not to feed the dogs.
The land on which the infestation occurred is state land, managed by HDB for the Singapore Land Authority.
Extermination of rats at Bukit Batok to take up to a week
ROBIN CHOO Today Online 18 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE — The extermination of the rodent infestation near Bukit Batok MRT Station is expected to take up to a week, said pest controllers working on the problem after a video of rats scurrying in the area went viral this week.
In a joint response to media queries, the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and Jurong Town Council said the feeding of stray dogs in the area needed to be stopped in order for the rodents to be eradicated.
The agencies said that since late last year, the public has been indiscriminately feeding the stray dogs, leaving food scraps that attracted rodents, which gave rise to the infestation.
The infestation was kept under control through multi-agency efforts, including the putting up of fences to keep stray dogs away from common areas and signs that reminded the public not to feed them, said the joint statement. Anti-rodent measures were also carried out.
However, the agencies said the issue resurfaced in the recent months due to continued indiscriminate feeding. “We have intensified our pest control measures to eradicate the rodents and, in response to public complaints on aggressive stray dogs, we are continuing with stray-dog control operations,” said the agencies.
Mr Ricky Yeo, president of Action for Singapore Dogs, said that while there were a small handful of “independent” feeders who do not practise responsible feeding, the rodent infestation should not be blamed on stray feeding. Feeders from his organisation and other local animal welfare groups do practise responsible feeding, he said.
Mr Yeo explained that responsible feeding was a means to capture and sterilise stray dogs and that it involved feeding the dogs only at a certain time at the same spot to create a routine, as dogs are habitual creatures. “Feeders must clean up the place after feeding,” he added.
Jurong GRC Member of Parliament (MP) David Ong said there were no laws against the feeding of stray animals, but added that the public should not do it irresponsibly. He yesterday also attributed the vermin problem to the indiscriminate feeding of stray animals. Food sources at the MRT station could have also attracted the rats, he said.
Mr Ong told TODAY that the issue would be a persistent one. “(We need to) step up vigilance and get (the) public to stop indiscriminate feeding.”
Extermination work began yesterday morning and lasted through the day. Curious onlookers crowded the vicinity as more than 10 exterminators worked to rid the area of the vermin.
Food and beverage establishments in the vicinity said they had been affected by the infestation. Mr Tan Pok Hong, assistant supervisor of a nearby coffee shop, said: “The (rat problem) started one to two months ago; (I) began only to see a lot more recently.”
Despite efforts to trap the rats, Mr Tan said he still found them scurrying around in the morning, gnawing on plastic containers and defecating in dark corners.
Rat extermination at Bukit Batok may take longer than expected: Pest controllers
Nur Afifah bte Ariffin, Channel NewsAsia 19 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE: The extermination of the rats in Bukit Batok may take longer than expected, said pest controllers on Friday (Dec 19). They had earlier predicted that the process would take a week, but it is likely to drag on because of the wet weather.
Mr Bernard Chan, manager of Star Pest Control, said. “This morning, there was rain. At the moment, we do not see a lot of rat activity. We have to wait for the rain to subside. We trapped more than 40 rats yesterday. If the weather conditions are better, we will see a better picture."
As of Friday evening (Dec 19), about 70 rats have been killed. Pest controllers were sent in on Thursday morning after news of the rat problem started circulating online, sparked by a netizen's video of many rats scurrying around the area.
BUKIT BATOK RESIDENTS APPEAL TO AUTHORITIES TO TACKLE FEEDING OF STRAY DOGS
Residents affected by the rat infestation problem in Bukit Batok have appealed to the authorities to tackle the root cause of the problem: the indiscriminate feeding of stray dogs.
Some have also called for something to be done about the strays.
The National Environment Agency (NEA), the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and Jurong Town Council issued a joint statement that said multiple measures have been put in place to address the problem.
But residents say people continue to leave food for the stray dogs near Bukit Batok MRT station, despite clear signs that forbid them from doing so.
A resident said: "The feeding of stray dogs should be stopped because the dogs will leave behind all the food and the rats will come and eat it and they propagate. This year, I have taken the train from this station almost every day. I see a lot of dogs. Some aunties are like commandos - they feed the dogs and move away very quickly."
Another resident agreed: "The main reason (for the infestation) is because people keep on feeding the stray dogs. One party is trying to get rid of the dogs but the other party is trying to feed it. Hopefully, we can do something about the stray dogs. They make a lot of noise, especially in the evening."
Some animal welfare groups Channel NewsAsia spoke to said that feeding the strays has to be done responsibly. Ms Cheong Mei Yi, Outreach officer of Save Our Street Dogs, said: "You can prepare food and feed them, but you have to stay or come back and clear away the food the dogs did not finish, because that attracts a lot of other pests like cockroaches or rats."
The authorities are also appealing to the public not to leave food for strays. They said action will be taken against those who do so.
- CNA/ek/dl
Bukit Batok rat infestation larger than initially thought: Pest controllers
Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia 20 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE: Pest busters who are trying to contain the rat infestation beside Bukit Batok MRT said on Saturday (Dec 20) they believe the infestation is affecting a bigger area than expected.
They added that efforts are being hampered by bad weather while new traces of food which can attract the rodents, have been discovered.
Thirty pest controllers have been combing the hill beside Bukit Batok MRT station to tackle the rat infestation. More than 140 rodents have been caught as of day three of the operation and more rats have been found further inside the forested area.
"We can go further deeper into the hill and other parts behind the hill as well and we do notice that there are activities over there," said Bernard Chan, manager of Star Pest Control. “We have created some simple road paths for the workers to access and conduct their work, and currently we are setting up more trappings.”
Authorities say food left behind for stray dogs have contributed to the rat infestation. Despite calls for more responsible behaviour, new traces of food have been found.
"For the last two days, because we are conducting operations here, the dog feeder actually detoured and went behind the hill,” said Mr Chan. “Last night, we discovered that they are throwing the food just behind the hill, which is a restricted area. We have also discovered that the amount of food that the dog feeder is providing the dog is quite a large amount, something about 10 kilogrammes."
The pest busters say the rats caught are roof rats, though they were earlier identified by another pest buster as sewer rats. Roof rats have been known to cause damage to properties.
"They are definitely good climbers and also good jumpers and their movement is much faster than sewer rats,” said Mr Chan. “If the population is not under control, if the population is overgrown, I think the rats will start to migrate into the stations and can cause more damage, not only to the properties' cables, but also migrate to the food establishments.
“Based on their behaviour, they will also need to gnaw something to sharpen their teeth and they might cause damage to the facility. We have seen this before, where they have bitten through the phone cables, land lines or even live wire as well in other places actually like in commercial buildings.”
Pest controllers say the operation may take more than a week to complete.
- CNA/ec
Bukit Batok rats to be flushed out by Christmas: Pest controllers
Nur Afifah bte Ariffin, Channel NewsAsia 21 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE: More than 170 rats have been caught so far as the operation to clear out the infestation in Bukit Batok enters its fourth day on Sunday (Dec 21).
The sloped area where the rats were initially spotted is now under control, and pest controllers have moved to tackle the forested area at the back.
Showers over the past few days have caused some delays, but the first phase of the operation is expected to be completed by Christmas day, when all the rats would have been flushed out from their burrows.
Some rats are caught alive, while others will surface later after they have eaten poisonous bait laid by the trappers. The dead rats are then sprayed with insecticide to kill fleas, which carry diseases, and are later disposed of by the pest controllers.
"The basic KPI is that we will not be seeing any more rat movement on the hilltop where the public can see,” said Star Pest Control manager Bernard Chan.
The pest controllers say they will be installing surveillance devices inside the forested areas during the second phase of operations which will allow them to continue monitoring the area.
- CNA/ec
Bukit Batok rat infestation: Stage 1 of extermination complete
Loi Kar Yee, Chinese News and Diane Leow Channel NewsAsia 24 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE: The first stage of eradicating the rat infestation at Bukit Batok is complete, according to pest controllers working on the area. The operation had begun a week ago on Dec 18, and was initially projected to take longer due to rainy weather.
Mr Bernard Chan, manager of Star Pest Control on Wednesday (Dec 24) told Channel NewsAsia the first phase of the operation has concluded with "reasonable results". He said the rat population is now "under control" as only one camera out of 20 installed in the area has captured photos of rat activity.
Photos of rats were snapped between 7pm to 8pm on Tuesday. The infrared cameras, which were installed in areas of the forest where the rats are most active, takes photographs when movement is detected. At least one stray dog was photographed as well.
Mr Chan added that the team will be moving into phase two of the operation from Thursday afternoon. Pest controllers will monitor areas that did not record rat activity previously to ensure that the rat population does not migrate to other areas, he said.
"There will be 30 monitoring points using cameras or other devices, such as simple monitoring stations with non-poisonous food bait for the rats. We will deploy that in the evening and in the morning, if there are signs of the food being bitten by the rats, then we will know they are still present."
He added that infrared video cameras will be installed in phase two of the exercise. Phase 2 of the operation is expected to last a fortnight. "After these two weeks of the second phase, we will resume normal maintenance," Mr Chan said.
- CNA/dl
Rat infestation at Bukit Batok over: Pest controllers
Abhishek Ravikrishnan Channel NewsAsia 6 Jan 15;
SINGAPORE: The rat infestation episode at Bukit Batok seems to be over - according to Star Pest Control, which carried out the extermination process.
The second phase of the process, which focused on monitoring the situation in the area, ends on Wednesday (Jan 7).
Said Mr Bernard Chan, Manager at Star Pest Control: “For the past two weeks, we have installed between 10 to 30 surveillance cameras on a few occasions, which can also work at night by using infra-red technology. With images that we have captured, we observed that there is no more rat activity.”
Authorities had said earlier that the rat problem could be due to people feeding stray dogs in the area, and leaving food for the rodents to feast on. Some residents said that stray dogs can still be seen in the vicinity, but none were spotted when Channel NewsAsia visited Bukit Batok MRT on Tuesday afternoon.
Star Pest Control said it will continue to monitor the situation, but it does not believe that the infestation is likely to recur.
"We did observe that there are some feeders still feeding strays. However, we also see that the relevant authorities like AVA and NEA officers are around to advise the feeder. I think the situation definitely can get better. believe everyone is aware now. And everyone will be putting extra effort to ensure that this will not happen again,” Mr Chan said.
- CNA/dl/el
