Neighbors blame backyard ducks for rat infestation in Woodstock

Residents of Arthur Street in Woodstock are concerned about a “rat outbreak” in the community, and suspect a homeowner’s ducks are behind the increased population of the unwanted rodents.

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A letter to city council, which has received 15 signatures, proposed politicians consider updating a bylaw to ban or regulate the number of fowl allowed on citizens’ properties within city limits.

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The letter from Chelsey Geerlinks-Down and neighbors states: “Many residents of Arthur Street have petitioned together as there is a house on Arthur Street with 14 ducks living in their backyard, which has now attracted a herd of rats.”

The letter also said there was concern the coop wasn’t being kept clean, a reason rats were being attracted to the enclosure.

According to the letter, the issue has been going on for five months, and 20 rats have been trapped as of Sept. 20.

Geerlinks-Down, whose backyard is on the same fence line as the coop, is concerned for the safety of her children and dog, worrying the rats could increase the risk of contracting disease.

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“We have to go out and check to make sure there’s nothing back there,” she said. “I have a dog and with rats, disease-bearing issues,” is a cause for stress.

Geerlinks-Down’s concerns are not unwarranted.

On its website, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says: “Infestation of rodents in and around the home is the main reason disease spreads from rodents to people. The best way to prevent a rodent infestation and contact with rodents is to remove food sources, water and items that provide shelter for rodents.” The website does not define an infestation.

The letter to city council said feces from rats are a common sight on properties that have experienced an increased number of the rodents.

Geerlinks-Down said she spent $500 on extermination, and said, “(The extermination company is) saying the nesting of the rats is coming from that area.”

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Cherlyn Vleuten also shares a fence line with the duck coop. She said initially there weren’t as many ducks, but as the number of ducks increased, the rat problem grew.

“They started out with a couple and then they ended up with, I think there’s 13 back there now,” Vleuten said. “So, that’s when we really started to see a lot of the rat problem,” she said.

The matter of backyard ducks falls under the fowl-pigeons bylaw, and Coun. Kate Leatherbarrow thinks the bylaw should be looked at because it hasn’t been updated since 1994.

“That’s something that we should certainly comb through and perhaps while staff are reviewing it, we can look at what other municipalities are doing,” Leatherbarrow said.

Council voted unanimously on Thursday to review the bylaw.

The resident in question couldn’t be reached for comment.

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