Following the Émilie Gamelin Park earlier this week, a rat was spotted in one of the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) buildings in the city center.
• Also read: Rat traps installed in Émilie Gamelin Park
According to video taken around 8:15am Friday morning, the rodent was seen climbing stairs before fleeing under chairs on the 2nd floor of the Judith Jasmine Pavilion.
UQAM has indicated that major work by the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) taking place near the Berri-UQAM subway could impact the presence of rats.
“This is the first time we have been informed of the presence of a rat and we are therefore a long way from an infestation across the university,” said Jenny Desrochers, director of the Department of Relations, in an email with the UQAM Press.
Measures were initiated by experts as soon as the university was made aware of this situation in the morning.
“Several preventative measures are also being implemented on an ongoing basis, including a weekly survey of locations on campus that could be problematic,” Ms. Desrochers added.
This isn’t the first time rats have appeared in Montreal, as others were spotted earlier this week in Émilie Gamelin Park on the corner of Berri and Sainte-Catherine streets. .
The city of Montreal then assured on Wednesday that rat traps were set up on the site.
Exterminators have said they have been concerned about the spread of these rodents in the metropolis for several months because of the pesticide ban that came into effect on January 1, 2022.
However, the city backed down on Jan. 11 by authorizing the use of diphacinone-based pesticides to end the problem.