Course:CONS200/2024WT1/The infestation of rats in Vancouver: Key threats and possible solutions

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Add your introduction here[1], covering general background information about the topic (e.g. location, duration).

Introduction

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Vancouver currently deals with a significant rat infestation that has become much more prominent in recent years. Research suggests this increase in rat infestation could be due to exposure to garages, abandoned builds, and compost. The severity and rate of rat infestation fluctuates seasonally, but research has confirmed during warmer seasons it is affluent. In addition, frequency of rat infestations rank high among residential and commercial areas dealing with food[2].

Factors contributing to Vancouver’s Rat Infestation

A description of the solutions or efforts that are currently underway to tackle the issue or problem.

Effectiveness of Vancouver’s Pest Patrol

The City of Vancouver has identified and implemented several measures to face the rat infestations. These strategies include removing rodents’ habitat, excluding them from indoors, and removing their nutrient sources. Not only this but Vancouver has been encouraging the local community to take action as well. They are instructing strategies to control the infestation of rats and mice effectively, mainly by eliminating everything for the rodents’ survival. For example, proper composting techniques to remove their food source, increase the number of traps, and seal holes and cracks in the foundation, walls, floors, and roof [3]. One significant measure involved the decision to ban certain rodenticides, which was influenced by concerns of secondary wildlife poisoning. The rodenticides were killing owls, along with creatures that consumed rats and mice[4]. Although this benefited other species, this decision has considerably intensified the city-wide rat infestation problems.[1] However, the main issue arises from the City of Vancouver's current struggle with tracking and monitoring. Which severely hinders the city’s ability to learn and adapt to the ongoing pest infestation. Improved data and research on the infestations would be beneficial to discover a solution to rat infestations.[5]

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Impacts of Rat Infestation on Public Health and Safety in Vancouver

A description of the solutions or efforts that are currently underway to tackle the issue or problem.

Impacts of Climate Change on Rat Breeding

Describe your analysis and evaluation of additional solutions and recommendations from a technical, social, cultural, economic, financial, political and/or legal points of view (not all of these categories will be relevant to all situations);

Conclusion

You should conclude your Wiki paper by summarizing the topic, or some aspect of the topic.

References

Please use the Wikipedia reference style. Provide a citation for every sentence, statement, thought, or bit of data not your own, giving the author, year, AND page. For dictionary references for English-language terms, I strongly recommend you use the Oxford English Dictionary. You can reference foreign-language sources but please also provide translations into English in the reference list.

Note: Before writing your wiki article on the UBC Wiki, it may be helpful to review the tips in Wikipedia: Writing better articles.[6]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shen, Nono (2024, Feb 9). "Vancouver grapples with rat infestation: Experts link rise in rodents to provincial ban on a type of pest poison and unusually warm winter". The Canadian Press. Retrieved November 2, 2024. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ↑ Himsworth, C. G., Feng, A. Y., Parsons, K., Kerr, T., & Patrick, D. M. (2013). "Using experiential knowledge to understand urban rat ecology: a survey of Canadian pest control professionals". Urban Ecosystems. 16: 341–350.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ City of Vancouver (n.d.). "Rats and mice". Vancouver.ca. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  4. ↑ Little, Simon (April 10, 2023). "B.C.'s rodenticide ban could be having unintended consequences: Pest control industry". Global News. Retrieved Retrieved November 2, 2024. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  5. ↑ Parsons, M. H., Banks, P. B., Deutsch, M. A., Corrigan, R. F., & Munshi-South, J. (2017). "Trends in urban rat ecology: a framework to define the prevailing knowledge gaps and incentives for academia, pest management professionals (PMPs) and public health agencies to participate". Journal of Urban Ecology. 3(1), jux005.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Writing better articles. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Writing_better_articles [Accessed 18 Jan. 2018].


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