An open house held by the Town of Tecumseh to address wildlife and rodent concerns heard mostly about rats.
Presentations were made to about 40 people from Erie Wildlife Rescue and Coyote Watch Canada.
There were also representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and several animal control companies at the session to answer questions.
Tecumseh Councillor Andrew Dowie says people were told that following the town's regulations will help control the rat population.
Tecumseh Councillor Andrew Dowie attends the regular meeting of council on September 26, 2017. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
"The hard-sided garbage containers, the biggest one that we've enacted. That takes away food source. Increased by-law enforcement is another matter. Where dealing with tall grasses and habitat is another way we can help address"
AM800 News file photo
Dowie says not feeding animals outdoors is a good way to prevent wild animals and rodents from coming to your property.
"The animals that we don't want coming into our vicinity, they're going to eat the same food and so it's kind of a double edged sword. We enjoy certain types of animals but not others, but they eat the same food"
He believes there should be another session that's more focused.
"We'll try to do it again in a manner that's more focused on the rats. I think we got good information on coyotes and owls and the larger animals and I think we're going to see about getting one specific to rats because that seems to be where the most interest lies"
Dowie says the town is tracking the rodent concerns residents are raising, but there's not enough data yet to identify a trend.
The town implemented a hard-sided garbage container rule at the start of the year, but has since exempted rural areas.
--with files from AM800's Rob Hindi --