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TOWSON, Maryland (WJZ) — Residents in a Towson group say a rising rat downside has gotten so extreme that it’s now a health threat.
Towson Manor Village residents instructed WJZ that two canines within the neighborhood not too long ago contracted leptospirosis, a bacterial illness carried by rodents.
People who’ve lived within the neighborhood for many years say they’ve by no means seen the rats this unhealthy.
WJZ has reached out to Baltimore County officers for remark and is ready for a response.
“They are everywhere” Residents in the neighborhood consider the issue escalated in the previous couple of years, as rental firms bought extra properties.
Longtime resident Matt Gaylor mentioned each evening the rats come out in droves.
“They are everywhere,” Gaylor mentioned.
Andrea Mason mentioned she usually sees a number of at a time, principally of their alley behind Linden Avenue close to the trash.
“It’s horrible,” Mason mentioned.
Gaylor mentioned the rats are getting bolder, and residents are beginning to see them in the course of the day.
“Now at four or five o’clock you’ll see them running through the bushes to get to the trash up and down the alleyway,” Gaylor mentioned. “It’s a constant thing.”
Impacting their high quality of life Residents say the infestation is affecting their high quality of life and creating rising health considerations.
Community Association President Sara Judd mentioned the rise in rental properties has made the problem worse.
“They are owned by absentee landlords, and most of the renters are not setting out trash with proper protection, which is fueling this growing colony of rats,” Judd mentioned.
The county performed rat eradications within the spring, however residents mentioned it barely made a dent. Some have resorted to dealing with the issue themselves.
“I have personally killed about 200 of them,” mentioned Wayne Whipfield.
Need for stricter trash laws Neighbors consider stricter trash laws might assist.
Michael Hannigan, who lives in the neighborhood, mentioned requiring metallic trash cans with tight-fitting lids would preserve rats from accessing meals sources.
“I don’t want them in my house, I don’t want them in the neighborhood, and I’m sure everybody in the neighborhood can agree with me,” Gaylor mentioned.
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