Catching them is not necessarily a fun task, but it is necessary, says Ferry. “The Netherlands is below sea level, which is why it is important to protect dikes and quays that no water can get through,” he explains. The sun has just risen and he has already caught two rats. Indirectly, the animals can cause flooding and nuisance, because they dig tunnels and burrow into the landscape. The rats are exotics, which means that they do not traditionally come from the Netherlands. They therefore have no natural enemies here, so Ferry and his colleagues have to intervene.
Not fun, but necessary: Ferry is a muskrat manager
