The Parkview Residents Association (PRA) joined forces with the Owl Rescue Centre to introduce safer ways to eliminate rats in the Parkview community through the Rat Trap project.
This project was to appeal to the Parkview community to avoid poisons to control rodents and to provide a safe, effective, humane, and enviro-friendly solution to rodent control, and to discourage the use of rodenticides that are harmful to the environment and other species like cats, dogs and owls.
The collaboration installed 20 homes in Parkview a couple of months ago with eco-friendly rat traps. To date, the community has captured about seven rats but believes that, if more homes come on board and got rat traps, this environmentally friendly means of capturing rodents can only go from strength to strength. There are other environmentally friendly ways of getting rid of rats, but these are very costly. The PRA, therefore, encourages residents to join their partnership with the Owl Rescue Centre.
“Over the years, many people have contacted us, seeking an alternative rodent control solution which does not involve poison. People, I am happy to say, are becoming more environmentally conscious and are realising the importance of protecting our biodiversity and ecosystems,” said Danelle Murray, founding member and communications director of the Owl Rescue Centre.
“The Parkview Residents Association is such a community, and we are pleased to be working with them,” she added.
The owl-friendly rat trap is designed primarily to catch rats without killing or harming them. Food is used as bait (not poisoned) and is placed inside the cage part of the rat trap to lure the rodents to the trap. The rat or mouse enters the rat trap through a trap door to get to the bait. The rodent is caught alive and without injury; it is trapped with a supply of water and food.
The rental fee for the traps is R150 per trap, per month, for a minimum period of six months and includes all collections of captured rodents. Parkview residents qualify for a bulk discount and the PRA can be contacted at info@parkview.org.za for more information. Those who do not reside in Parkview can purchase or rent the traps by contacting the Owl Rescue Centre.
For more information about the cause, kindly visit www.owlrescuecentre.org.za
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