November 02, 2019 05:02 pm | Updated 05:02 pm IST

Where rats have a field day

At the landscaping area of Marina, they find ‘snacks’ and some cosy soil to burrow themselves in

A belligerent Indian mole-rat wresting control of a paper-plate from a crow at the Marina beach. Photo: Prince Frederick

A belligerent Indian mole-rat wresting control of a paper-plate from a crow at the Marina beach. Photo: Prince Frederick

Rats have a field day at the Marina. Photo: Prince Frederick

Rats have a field day at the Marina. Photo: Prince Frederick

On the landscaping section of the Marina, green is offset by hickory-brown. There is no aesthetics attached to this colour combo. Sandwiched between the beach’s well-trodden promenade and its service lane, the green patch is actually marred by burrows dug by rodents. The problem is quite extensive, stretching from the Marina swimming-pool area to the Light House. To state the obvious, it is not just a blight on the landscape, but a public-health hazard.

At the very least, for the past couple of weeks, the problem seemed to be getting out of hand, with the rodent presence being noticed even by superficial observers. They usually come out of the burrows in large numbers in the evenings. Food leftovers carelessly cast aside by visitors is the major attraction for the rats.

The burrows are largely found on the fringes of the landscaped area, close to the short enclosure walls on which visitors park themselves and have food.

Public-health officials at the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) admit there is a rat-infestation problem that raises its snout now and them.

“We use rodenticide to deal with the problem, which we try to keep down to a manageable level,” explains P. Madhusudhan Reddy, Deputy Commissioner (Health), GCC. The rat population at the Marina include regular rats and the bigger-sized Indian mole-rats. The latter can be belligerent, and this writer has been witness to how they boldly wrest paper-plates with leftover food from crows.

On the morning of November 2, a team of GCC officials and workers led by Health Officer for Zone 9, E. Saraswathi Sainath, carried out a rodent-eradication exercise.

Rodenticide being placed at rat burrows at the Marina beach. Photo: Prince Frederick

Rodenticide being placed at rat burrows at the Marina beach. Photo: Prince Frederick

Corporation workers closing rat burrows at the Marina beach. Photo: Prince Frederick

Corporation workers closing rat burrows at the Marina beach. Photo: Prince Frederick

Following the usual-followed procedure, half-cut tomatoes smeared with rodenticide paste were placed in the burrows. The burrows were also closed.

“During the rainy season, it is considerably difficult to control rat population, as the paste often gets washed away in the rain. A rodent that has ingested rodenticide will have considerable thirst, and during rains, there will be water at hand for it to drink. Once it drinks sufficient water, the rodenticide will lose its effect. So, during heavy rains, we only close the burrows and keep the rodenticide exercise for later, when the weather is more suitable for it,” says a Corporation official.

The method may sound squeamish, but that is the only way the rodent population is being kept under control now.

“Rodent-control exercise at the Marina is carried out on a weekly basis. As Marina cuts through five wards in Zone 9, the exercise calls for considerable coordination. Also, during the monthly ‘food raid’, the same activity is carried out under the supervision of entomologists from Zones 6 to 10,” says Saraswathi.

A cyclic process

Obviously, the problem and the solution are trapped in a quickly-recurring cyclic process. Is it possible to break out of it, and find a method that may be more lasting? The better question would be: Is it possible to keep food leftovers particularly out of this space?

“People are not supposed to be at the landscaping area, and that explains the steel enclosures. However, in some patches, they have been broken and so people gain access to the area. Conservancy workers at the Marina do clear the carelessly-throws food plates, but given the number of visitors to the beach, it is quite a handful for them,” explains Saraswathi. “Tackling this issue requires considerable cooperation from the public.”

How a food plate changes hands, beaks and claws

A human hand flings a paper-plate with leftover food sticking to it. That’s the beginning of a journey for the carelessly-discarded plate. A murder of crows swoops down on it, and pecks away at the morsels. Three rats wait in the wings, expectantly. Following movement of human feet nearby and some shooing, the crows take to wing, leaving the food plate all to the rats. Out of the blue, another contender arrives on the scene. A dog sees an evening snack and snatches the plate from the rats. The plate would have been spared this buffeting around if it had been deposited where it belongs — the dumpster. At many sections of the Marina, there is a pair of dumpsters to be found — one for wet waste and another for dry waste. However, most of the time, they are silent witness to such food tussles.

Crows feed on leftover food at Marina, moments before  rats invite themselves to the party. Photo: Prince Frederick

Crows feed on leftover food at Marina, moments before rats invite themselves to the party. Photo: Prince Frederick

Rats feed on leftover food at a section of Marina. Photo: Prince Frederick

Rats feed on leftover food at a section of Marina. Photo: Prince Frederick

Rats feed on leftover food at Marina and there seems to be some competition on the way. Photo: Prince Frederick

Rats feed on leftover food at Marina and there seems to be some competition on the way. Photo: Prince Frederick

A dog feeds on leftover food at Marina, moments after it snatched the plate holding it from rats. Photo: Prince Frederick

A dog feeds on leftover food at Marina, moments after it snatched the plate holding it from rats. Photo: Prince Frederick

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