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Condemned Michigan Home Overrun By Ballooning Rat Population

Condemned Michigan Home Overrun By Ballooning Rat Population
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By 

Green Editor, The Huffington Post

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To say this Michigan home has a rodent problem would be putting it lightly.

There are currently more than 1,000 rats inside a condemned house near Grand Rapids and they're multiplying at a rate of 100 per day, a Fruitport Township official told FOX 17. The homeowner, Donald Carr, reportedly has until the end of this week to make a dent in the problem before local officials consider ordering an exterminator to fumigate. If it comes to that, Carr could be assessed as much as $30,000 through a tax lien.

A woman who formerly rented the home operated an animal rescue out of it for about 10 years. Last winter someone anonymously left about 150 domestic rats with the woman, and they soon began to multiply. The house was condemned in May.

"It is a real and present danger to the local community," Fruitport Township Supervisor Brian Werschem said at a township board of trustees meeting on Monday, according to the Muskegon Chronicle. The feral rats, he said, are "not afraid of humans in any way, shape or form. They'll bite, carry ticks and fleas, and are susceptible to rabies and disease."

Carr has already removed about 1,500 rats from the residence, the Muskegon Chronicle notes, but the animals keep breeding.

"If they’re not removing them at a rate of 100 a day, they’re not making progress," Werschem said. "This is an infestation unlike any other."

The reaction from Abby Eden, a reporter with a Fox affiliate in Kansas City that also covered the story, pretty much sums up everyone's feelings about the matter.

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Before You Go

10 Invasive Species
Cane Toads(01 of10)
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Cane toads were introduced into the Australian wild in 1935 in an attempt to control cane beetles, pests that destroyed sugar cane plantations in the country. Unfortunately, the flying cane beetles didn't make for easy prey and the effort to control them failed.The government released 102 toads from Hawaii into plantations north of Queensland and there are now an estimated 1.5 billion in Australia. They're about the size of a softball, excrete poison from their skin, and have been known to steal pet food. (credit:Getty Images)
Starlings(02 of10)
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A New York drug manufacturer released 60 starlings into Central Park in 1890 in an attempt to introduce all of the birds mentioned by Shakespeare into North America. Estimates now put the population upwards of one billion. Starlings fly in flocks by the millions and may be increasing the risk of disease for people and pets as they cover entire neighborhoods with droppings. They also cause more than $150 million in damage to property and crops every year due to their massive numbers, according to the USDA. (credit:AP)
Burmese Pythons(03 of10)
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When unprepared pet owners couldn't figure out what to do with these massive creatures, many were released into the Everglades, and have since colonized the region, decimating natural populations of birds and mammals.The 18-foot snakes have evaded capture and control, and experts now put population estimates anywhere from 5,000 to 100,000. They're also on the move, and spreading quickly throughout Florida. (credit:AP)
European Rabbits(04 of10)
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In 1859, 24 wild rabbits were released into Australia for hunting by a visiting Englishman. By 1950, there were more than 600 million spread across the country, destroying native plants and ecology. Various measures have been adopted to try and control the creatures, including 2,000 miles in fencing and introduced diseases that target rabbit populations.European rabbits are also ravaging the United Kingdom. The population of 40 million cost about $400 million in damage every year. (credit:Getty Images)
Kudzu(05 of10)
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It's been referred to as the plant that ate the South, growing more than a foot a day and covering anything that isn't moving. Kudzu was introduced as an ornamental plant from Japan in 1876 and many southern farmers were encouraged to plant the vine in the 1930s to curb erosion. It was finally recognized by the USDA as an invasive pest in 1953, but the plant had already been established, covering about two million acres of land, according to the University of Florida. Vines stretching more than 100 feet block out all sunlight, effectively strangling all other plants.Possible solutions? Turn it into biofuel. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bad9370e4b04b2386d12389" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="25" data-vars-position-in-unit="31">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62533553@N00/1189715136" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="SoftCore Studios" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bad9370e4b04b2386d12389" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62533553@N00/1189715136" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="26" data-vars-position-in-unit="32">SoftCore Studios</a>)
Asian Carp(06 of10)
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Asian carp were introduced in the 1980s as living vacuums to help keep southern fish farms clean, but flooding released them into the wild. Populations have exploded throughout the Mississippi and Illinois river systems, outcompeting other species and disrupting food ecology.Officials are worried the fish may spread to the Great Lakes where they could continue to spread without check, and populations are only about 55 miles away from doing so. Many carp species aren't predatory and only eat plankton, except for black carp that eat snails and mussels. However, research is still unclear if they'll have an effect on other fish. A growing movement to eat the carp has emerged as a possible containment method, but it has been slow to gain popularity.CORRECTION: This slide has been updated to include the diet of black carp. The slide incorrectly identified all Asian carp species as non-predatory. However, black carp do in fact eat snails and mussels. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bad9370e4b04b2386d12389" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="20" data-vars-position-in-unit="26">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50838842@N06/6887439853" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="USFWS Headquarters" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bad9370e4b04b2386d12389" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50838842@N06/6887439853" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="21" data-vars-position-in-unit="27">USFWS Headquarters</a>)
Northern Snakehead(07 of10)
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The northern snakehead (lovingly dubbed the Frankenfish) is a carnivorous, sharped-toothed fish stretching up to two feet long. It can survive out of water, breathe oxygen and squirm over land to find new breeding grounds. And it's spreading rapidly.The fish are native to Russia and Southeast Asia, but have spread throughout the U.S. after being introduced through Asian food markets. They have few natural predators and are usually at the top of the food chain. Like some of the other fish on this list, a coalition of Baltimore chefs are trying to get them on the menu before they eat other beloved fish populations like salmon and bass. (credit:Getty Images)
Grey Squirrels(08 of10)
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In 1876, a British banker decided to release a pair of grey squirrels he brought from America into the wild for ornamental purposes, leading others to do the same. A century later, they've decimated native red squirrel populations, inciting a hatred for greys that extends into the royal family.Grey squirrels don't actually kill their colorful brethren, but they do carry a disease that's deadly to red squirrels. Current estimates say that without action the native species could be extinct within 10 years. (credit:AP)
Zebra Mussels(09 of10)
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These mollusks probably arrived on a shipping vessel from Europe that released ballast water into the great lakes in the mid-1980s. They've since invaded the region, clogging pipes and out-eating native mussels and fish.The filter-feeders prefer fast-moving water and have a knack for clogging pipes and water treatment facilities.They don't have many natural predators and aren't popular on the dinner table, allowing them to breed by the millions. New Coast Guard rules that limit the amount of zebra mussels in ballast water were established in 2012 to try and curb their spread, The New York Times reported. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bad9370e4b04b2386d12389" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="7" data-vars-position-in-unit="13">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/71295177@N06/8380184933" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bad9370e4b04b2386d12389" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/71295177@N06/8380184933" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="8" data-vars-position-in-unit="14">Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources</a>)
Lionfish(10 of10)
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The lionfish looks like a creature that belongs on a reef, but it has become a non-native scourge on local fish populations.Native to the western Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Red Sea, lionfish came to the U.S. as aquarium fish that were then dumped into waters off the Florida coast. They've had time to breed and are now eating everything in sight (more than 40 different kinds of fish have been found in their stomachs, according to NOAA.)A few fishing competitions have popped up, but scientists are still at a loss as to how they can control the population.One solution? Eat them. (credit:Getty Images)
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