Traps, chemicals…and now a ferret. On his social media, Aïcha Guedjali made an announcement that clashes. Taking the path already taken by her counterparts in Toulouse and Vitry-sur-Seine, the left-wing city councilor responsible for insalubrity and pests in Marseille has decided to call on Prune, who, as her name does not indicate , is a ferret bred in the Gers to hunt rats. On this occasion, Aïcha Guedjali returns to 20 Minutes Marseilles on this real scourge that affects the second largest city in France, and the strategy put in place by the municipality to deal with it.
What is the situation regarding the proliferation of rats in Marseille?
It’s still just as complicated and it’s still the same. It is estimated that there are between one and one and a half rats per inhabitant. The services do what they can and that gives them a lot of work. But the city is changing. There’s a lot of work going on, and that gets the pests out. In this city, we also have a problem with waste management. And you know the problem in Marseille of incivility. And it’s obvious that rats would rather feed on the garbage lying around the garbage cans than eat our bait. We have also noticed that the buried containers were more efficient in the fight against rats, because they did not have access to the waste. When agents intervene, they also sometimes realize that people are feeding the rats…
What are you doing to combat this phenomenon?
We have a protocol that we apply in all public buildings where we are notified of an intrusion, such as nurseries and schools. At that time, we carry out a weekly monitoring of our traps. And after 35 days, we know if the outbreak is eradicated or not. But we have a problem for parks and gardens. We don’t want to put chemicals in the public space. And it’s complicated for us to put our boxes containing the traps everywhere. We are afraid that they will be removed, since they are put in full view of the people who use the public parks. The ferret can be a complementary method and a more virtuous treatment. The cities of Toulouse and Vitry-sur-Seine are already using this process with a breeder and have great feedback. We therefore made a call for projects for a test phase. This breeder responded. By this method, according to him, one can have from 50 to 60 rats per intervention. In mid-November, we will launch a diagnostic phase. We will list about fifteen sites where we encounter recurring problems. And it’s everywhere in Marseille! I even have reports in the 7th arrondissement, along the Corniche. A test phase will come in December with a few places to target, before a ramp-up.
How it works ?
The ferret enters through an orifice A. Nets are placed. The rat exits through an orifice B at the other end. And then we come to euthanize them. But in a gentle way! With CO2. The goal is not to kill them. And the goal is not to eradicate the rats, but to regulate the population in Marseille. Rats have had a use, especially in the maintenance of underground structures. They just need to stay in the sewers. The problem is that they find their food outside.