Berlin tackles rat problem on playgrounds

The Berlin district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf wants to tackle a plague of rats with a poster campaign on playgrounds.

People are asked not to leave leftover food lying around and to refrain from feeding birds in order to avoid attracting rats. The posters will be presented on Tuesday and then put up, according to the district. They will read: "Leftover food - a feast for rats" and "Rats love food in the park".

Playgrounds have to be closed time and again

District councillor Oliver Schruoffeneger (Green Party) emphasized that unfortunately playgrounds have to be closed again and again because of the rats. The cause of the infestation by the animals is often food waste or other garbage. City Councillor for Health Detlef Wagner (CDU) pointed out that rats could transmit pathogens to humans. "That's why we want to curb the further spread of these rodents in the city." Playgrounds would have to be closed for safety reasons if they were to be controlled with poison.