“It’s crawling with rats here”: local residents respond to persistent nuisance in Aartselaar (Aartselaar)

There is a noticeable nuisance from rats in the center of Aartselaar. The animals gather in large numbers under the trees on the Laar and sometimes cross the surrounding streets. Not only passers-by, but also catering establishments are affected by this.

A manager, who prefers to remain anonymous, explains how her business has been affected by it. “As a catering business, it is certainly not obvious to have vermin in the area. Last month there was even a rat inside. Luckily we were able to catch it, but that was still a shock.” To avoid causing panic, the operator wants customers to know as little about it as possible. But for her the size is enough and she expects action from the local government.

No rat plague

“There are indeed rats present in our village center, but a rat plague is a big word,” responds Environmental Alderman Hans Cops (independent). According to him, you can only speak of a plague if the creatures have a negative effect on public health or cause damage, and that is not yet the case. “Moreover, the intention is not to eradicate the rats, they are also part of the ecosystem.”

“Rat plague is a big word. It is only a pest if the creatures have a negative effect on public health or cause damage and that is not yet the case.”

Hans Cops (independent)

Alderman for the Environment

Together with the local Pied Piper, who has been active for 18 years, Alderman Cops monitors the situation. For example, since 2022, Aartselaar has been working with a system of rat boxes that are linked to smart technology. “Fifteen of these are spread across the municipality. This way we can monitor the number of rats in different places and we can respond to those specific data. Since the problem is increasing on the Laar, we will concentrate the boxes more in the problem zone. In this way we hope to limit the nuisance in the long term,” the alderman explains.

Nuisance in the neighborhood

When we enter the Laar, we soon notice that the rats are a source of conversation among the people on the street. One of the local residents who already noticed the animals is Marijke Vandebroeck (64). “I often see them running through the grass here, but actually I’m already used to that. I also have this problem at home. I try to combat them there by spraying water into the holes with a garden hose. I don’t use poison because I’m afraid it will affect my pets.”

Marijke thinks it is a general problem that was started by the various sewerage works, but hopes that it will be tackled quickly. “As long as no action is taken, it will remain this way.”

Meentje Verlooy (66) has also seen the creatures crawling around several times, according to her the situation is a disaster. “The Laar is crawling with rats. During the day you can just see them walking back and forth between the trees. This is especially difficult on Fridays, when the market is open. People come to do their shopping, but are then startled by those vermin. We already had rats in our garden last year, but in the meantime the problem in our municipality continues to persist.”

“The Laar is crawling with rats. During the day you can just see them walking back and forth between the trees. This is especially difficult on Fridays, when the market is open. People come to do their shopping, but are then startled by those vermin”

Meentje Verlooy

Local resident

According to her, a solution would be to prune the bottom of the trees where the rats hide. “That way you could spot them or even catch them more easily. In any case, it is up to the municipality to do something about this, because this cannot continue,” said the local resident who also stands up for the local electoral list Samen NAP.