A pest specialist with Orkin Canada is weighing in on possible reasons for rats living in Uptown Waterloo.
Last month, businesses in the area were raising concerns about rats running rampant, after several videos went viral.
Then, just over a week ago, another video of many rats seen on King Street, made its way around social media.
Alice Sinia, with Orkin Canada, said one major factor for the recent rat sightings could be access to garbage.
“So food really sustains that population because they need that to be able to reproduce, and that really drives their population up,” Sinia said.
Sinia has a Ph.D. in entomology and studies pest management. Sinia said any access to garbage, whether on the street or in an open bin, can result in rat populations growing.
“Rats are going to always be part of our ecosystem. The only thing is we have to make sure that the population is kept low to the …