Photo by Harpyen
THE NUMBER of rats is on the rise in both urban and rural areas, posing a threat to public health, according to House Health Committee’s head Costas Constantinou.
“A rise in the population of rats in urban and rural areas and the risks they pose to public health is something that concerns the public,” said Constantinou, adding that so far the responsible authorities had failed to reduce rodent numbers.
“We’ve asked for a timeframe, the issue remains open and we [plan] to re-address it,” he said. Constantinou also said that they had called on the relevant bodies to coordinate themselves and put together a prevention plan.
AKEL MP Stella Misaouli said past efforts had clearly not worked because there were areas such as landfills and the buffer zone that remained unchecked.
Greens MP Giorgos Perdikis made an eco-friendly suggestion, saying there was a type of owl that hunts mice at night. “It’s been proven that trying to deal with a rat or any other rodent population chemically does not work,” he added, claiming that the Health Ministry provided 370 tonnes of rat poison last year, without making a dent in the problem.
Cyprus Mail
There are approximately two million cats on Cyprus. I suggest the Cypriot authorities introduce the common weasel (mustela nivalis) and the European beech marten (mustela foena). They live largely on rodents. I doubt my advice will be listened too, but these two carnivores will certainly help with this rodent problem.