‘8 Rat Pups on Engine’ Found Under Mercedes Hood in Chelyabinsk

A resident of the Manhattan residential complex in central Chelyabinsk found eight dead rodents under the hood of his Mercedes in the yard. According to Roman, he has long noticed rats near the garbage bins by the house, but never expected one to climb under his car and give birth there. What specialists and the management of the managing company say about this city-wide problem — in the material from 74.RU.

Car Won«t Start

Roman lives in building No. 7 on Hero of Russia Yakovlev Street. He parked the car next to the high-rise, but not close to the garbage area.

‘I start the car, it doesn’t start, so I opened the hood and found eight rat pups on the engine,’ he said. ‘We’ve come to this! Rats are giving birth in cars. It was disgusting to clean up. The car still wouldn’t start. Apparently, the birthing rat also chewed through the wires.’

According to Roman, he has seen rats near the house more than once.

‘The city center, a premium residential complex, and there are a huge number of rats. They mainly run around near the garbage containers,’ he added.

‘Specifics of the Residential Complex’s Location…’

The Topolinka group of companies, which services this building, informed 74.RU that they are aware of the problem.

‘We have received appeals from residents regarding episodic cases of rodent detection on the premises,’ said Dmitry Danilov, manager of the Manhattan managing company. ‘The specifics of the residential complex’s location entail an increased risk of rodent migration. Specifically: the complex is located in close proximity to the river floodplain — a natural habitat for small animals. Adjacency to a construction site, where there was previously wasteland with weeds — the former habitat of rodents. Earthworks have disrupted the animals’ usual living places.’

The manager also talked about what measures are being taken to combat rodents.

‘Regular preventive treatments are conducted by specialized contractor organizations for sanitary maintenance of the territory,’ explained Dmitry Danilov. ‘Certified preparations safe for people and pets are used. In addition, daily inspections of the premises are carried out; in case of rodent detection, local measures are performed — laying rodenticides directly into burrows on the border with the construction site, near transformer substations.’

Rat Migration

Recently, more and more residents of Chelyabinsk in different parts of the city have been noticing rats. The day before, residents of the Leninsky district complained about an invasion of rodents that run through the entrance and climb into apartments. We asked specialists what this problem is associated with.

‘Rats have crawled out of their burrows due to the frost, migration is occurring, so it seems there are many of them,’ explained veterinary doctor Karen Dallakyan. ‘Their burrows have cooled, and they come out from there, it’s already uncomfortable for them. This happens annually during heavy rains and frosts.’

Marina Utkina, deputy director for zoo-veterinary affairs at the Chelyabinsk Zoo, agreed with her colleague.

‘We have abnormal frosts for the Southern Urals. Most likely, the places where rats previously lived have frozen over or become colder than usual,’ said Marina Utkina. ‘Secondly, for a rat to move, there must be some food base, places where it can get food. In frosts, to warm themselves, they need more sustenance, so they come out more often. Usually they do this in the dark time of day, when there is no traffic, large crowds of people, but the weather has made its adjustments.’