Getting to grips with rats

The Star

Rat infestation is one of the biggest challenges faced by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).  For control purposes, poisons and traps are among some of the methods used by DBKL’s vector and pest control unit.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00 These rats are trying to gnaw their way out of the metal traps.

00:04 But there will be no mercy as the critters will soon meet their end, chloroformed and then incinerated.

00:09 That's all in a day's work for Helmy Mohamad Zinn,

00:12 who has been with Kuala Lumpur City Hall's Vector and Pest Control Unit for the past 25 years.

00:18 The team of eight was conducting a night operation at the Pudu wet market.

00:22 Eight single traps were set out, and within the hour, four rats were caught.

00:27 Not all of the rats were caught.

00:32 The rats I know were caught in Pudu, Cokit, Keramat, Petaling Serip.

00:40 The others were caught in Kurang.

00:42 We also had rats in Kurang, which were caught in the rat poison.

00:47 The team has also installed an urban rat trapping device at the wet market.

00:51 We call it the Urban Rat Trapping Device, URTD.

00:56 This is a project by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall's Environmental Health Department.

01:01 Our tribe's name is Sehat 21.

01:03 This is our innovation.

01:05 We tried to set up this device in its natural state.

01:11 We will install this device in the ground and build a hole,

01:19 like the original path for it to walk on every day.

01:25 It will enter the hole and fall into our trap.

01:31 We will clear our trap twice or once a week.

01:36 The URTD has won several awards at the Federal Territory Civil Service Sector's

01:42 Creative and Innovative Group,

01:44 the Innovative and Creative Circle Convention in 2023,

01:48 and the Malaysia Productivity Corporation's Team Excellence Convention.

01:52 Nevertheless, the device is unable to completely eradicate the rats.

01:56 At the very best, their numbers can only be reduced.

02:00 We can reduce the number of rats.

02:06 The agreement says that the number of rats has been reduced.

02:11 According to DBKL Health and Environment Department Director Dr Umi Ahmad,

02:16 the Pudu Wet Market is a hot spot for rats,

02:19 as there is ample food source.

02:22 She says it is also an old building with multiple cracks and holes in its structure,

02:27 where rats can tunnel, take shelter and multiply.

02:30 The fault also lies in the way the waste at these places are being managed.

02:34 So to eradicate the rat problem, Dr Umi says public attitudes must change.

02:40 Rubbish must be properly tied up in bags,

02:42 so there is no chance of them dropping around the bins or rubbish area.

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02:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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