(Whitefield Animal Control Officer Peggy Sirois said a comment attributed to her in a previous version of this story, alleging she said a number of rats were shot and killed a local gravel pit, is untrue. Sirois said she has no knowledge of any such event occurring and certainly never made the statement attributed to her.
In a related note, Sirois confirmed she did use macaroni and cheese to bait a cage-style trap set to catch the rats, however macaroni and cheese was one of several baits used over a period of time.
Attempts to reach Sirois for comment prior to press deadline Sept. 26 were unsuccessful.)
Three written complaints concerning rats have been submitted to the town of Windsor from Whitefield and Windsor residents since Sept. 7, according to Windsor Town Manager Theresa Haskell.
Among those affected by the rats are Lori and Lester “Bubba” Batchelder, of Whitefield. The Batchelders said that they have seen rats on their property on a number of occasions, including going underneath their mobile home through holes the rats chewed through the skirt.
“When I really blew up was when I found one chewing on my trailer,” said Lori Batchelder. The couple complained to the town of Windsor on Sept. 7, she said.
The Batchelders live near the Whitefield/Windsor town line shared with Windsor, and Lori Batchelder said that a Windsor resident named Eric Harrington told them he had been releasing rats “anywhere he can drop them.”
Harrington allegedly told the couple he had been raising rats to feed a pet snake and the population had gotten out of hand, Batchelder said. Harrington told them he had been looking for help since April but as of a conversation with the Batchelders on Sept. 17 he was still allegedly releasing rats into the area, she said.
When seeking comment from Eric Harrington, his father, Paul Harrington, said that no one in the family wished to comment on the issue.
Haskell said that the first she had heard of the issue was the written complaint she received on Sept. 7.
Whitefield Animal Control Officer Peggy Sirois set up a cage-style trap baited with macaroni and cheese at the Batchelder home for several days, but caught no rats, said Batchelder.
Sirois could not be reached for comment and did not return phone messages left on Sept 21 and 24.
As of the Sept. 25 meeting of the Whitefield Selectmen, the selectmen present said they didn’t have much first-hand knowledge of the issue.
Selectman Frank Ober said, “I don’t know what we could do; it isn’t our town the problem is coming from.”
Selectmen Dennis Merrill said Windsor has been working to remove the source of the problem, but “we haven’t been invited by them to participate in any way.”
Merrill said he will be following up to get more information.
Haskell, Sirois, and members of Mainely Rat Rescue visited the home of Eric Harrington on Sept. 20 in response to the complaints.
Kimberly Jackson, the Director of Operations for MRR, wrote in an email that at some point Harrington had “‘dropped’ a box of domestic rats and they ‘supposedly’ bred with wild rats.”
Jackson wrote that since the all the rats are now feral and domestic pets are the only type of rats MRR deals with, there wasn’t much they could do to help with the rat problem. The group was able to assist Harrington with about 40 of his “many, many domestic pet mice” and will assist with more once the initial mice are adopted, she wrote.
Jackson wrote that Harrington “has previously and continues to ask for outside help with this problem. He wants it taken care of as much as everyone else.”
Haskell said that she is continuing to look into the situation surrounding the complaints, and has been talking to a number of state agencies to find out exactly where the responsibility falls.
Liam Hughes, the Director of the state’s Animal Welfare Program, said Animal Welfare is not currently involved and the situation “seems to be a town issue.”
Doug Rafferty, Director of Information and Public Education for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said that since the rats are domestic in nature as opposed to wild, they do not fall under IFW’s responsibilities. Rafferty said that doesn’t mean they won’t give advice or assist in the situation, though.
Keel Kemper, IFW’s Regional Biologist for central Maine, said that he will be meeting with Harrington to see how he can assist with the problem.
Kemper said that while rat infestations can have potentially serious ramifications, he doesn’t yet have enough information on this situation to determine its magnitude.
Kemper said that the rats will need to find food sources to stay alive, and will seek warmth and shelter in people’s homes because of the fall’s dropping temperatures. “That’s a given,” he said.
“Rats are disease-ridden creatures. … This is not to be joked around with,” Kemper said.
Dr. Sheila Pinette, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention, said rats are known to carry 35 different types of infectious diseases and pose many health hazards.
Pinette said breathing air in an area with a lot of rat urine or feces is one of the way those diseases can be transmitted and it’s important to wear a face mask when cleaning up after rats.
Pinette recommended cleaning up an infested area with towels that can be thrown away, disinfecting with a 10:1 water to bleach mixture, and then mopping. She advised against sweeping and vacuuming as that can make more harmful particles airborne.
Both Kemper and Pinette recommended removing food sources as an important step in resolving a rat infestation.
