Save the rats? Not likely

Cycling to work at 4:30 a.m. brings me into regular contact with some of the animals that also live in Victoria.

Most mornings I see at least one raccoon or deer, though in the winter months the birds don't seem to be awake that early.

And once I get to work, animals are often a topic of discussion on the radio as well.

The ongoing debate about deer in Oak Bay was back in the news this week, after the province said it needed more information before it approves a proposal to use contraception to control the deer population.

We also talked about the considerable efforts by volunteers to help hundreds of birds that have been left homeless by the closure of the World Parrot refuge in Coombs, B.C..

And of course there was the whole debate, several years ago, about the rabbits at the University of Victoria.

Bunny cull unpopular

The bunnies were breeding like, well, rabbits and the herd grew quickly. When the population on campus topped 1,000, the university decided to go ahead with a cull.

Needless to say, killing bunnies wasn't a popular plan with everyone.

I still remember interviewing one of the unlucky UVic officials who was in charge of organizing the cull and responding to the considerable opposition in the community.

He acknowledged the strong feelings and politely noted that while the plan for a rabbit cull was new, the university had long been trapping rats with no complaint.

His observation about rats, and the silence that usually surrounds killing them, came to mind earlier this week when I was cycling home from work.

I came across a not-uncommon sight on the streets of Victoria: a dead rat. The crow that was tugging away at its innards hopped out of the way nonchalantly as I swerved to avoid the roadkill.

I rode on, past one of the many lawn signs reminding drivers to use "caution" and  "expect deer," and I thought 'why isn't anyone worried about the rats'?

Rats are everywhere in Victoria.

A press release just arrived in my email inbox from Orkin Pest Control, ranking Victoria in the No. 2 position on "British Columbia's Top 20 'Rattiest' Cities List." (Vancouver is at the top of the list, in case you were wondering.)

And yet, I've never heard of any effort to protect rats.

Rats are trapped and disposed of every day in a myriad of unpleasant ways, and yet there are no lawn signs, no publicity campaigns, no public debate.

It's tempting to think that's because rats aren't as cute as rabbits.

But there's more to it than that.

Rats not considered wildlife in B.C.

Rats are caught in a sort of legal limbo.

They are not domestic animals, but they're not wildlife either.

Animal protection organizations that take in abandoned domestic rats and other pets will not take in the rat that crawls around in your compost bin.

And if you bring an injured Norwegian rat to a wild animal rescue, they will not look after it because it's an invasive species that is not considered wildlife in B.C.

The best you could hope for is a vet to euthanize the animal.

I emailed Lisa Hutcheon, the co-founder of the Small Animal Rescue Society of B.C. about this.

"It is extremely sad," Hutcheon wrote back. "In the spring, there is absolutely no one to assist with orphan rat babies. They are left to slowly suffer and die."

That doesn't sound very nice. But then, anyone who's had to deal with a rat infestation knows that's not very nice either.

The result is that there's not a lot of sympathy for rats around here.

"Rats have such a poor reputation as it is," Hutcheon writes, "that to publicly ask for help just gets us nothing but ridicule."

I confess that I've used rat traps myself in the past.

I have a collection of living traps and snap traps hanging in my 105-year-old garage.

I also have a few rats living in there now if the fresh droppings I found a few days ago are any indication.

I'm hoping to scare them outside and then patch up the holes where they're getting in to keep them out. If that doesn't work, I might use the traps again.

And if I do, will anyone protest?

Will anyone ask if I've tried to relocate them?

Will anyone ask if I've considered using contraception instead?

Come to think of it, my kids might ask me a few of those questions.

But I doubt anyone else will.