This is a subject that has long preoccupied the people of Marseille: the proliferation of rats. “It’s horrible, when you go out in the street, you have rats. And when you take the dog out, he’s afraid of rats, they’re so big. They’re big beasts, it’s impressive. And there are everywhere!”testifies a resident. “We see them riding, adds a Marseillaise. Next door, there is a warehouse where they prepare pizza dough: it attracts them… They look like cats! There are some here in Marseille, but a Parisian can tell you as much as I can.”
Rat extermination devices exist, of course, but all ideas are welcome, such as the ferret, a small animal that has the particularity of scaring rats. Traditionally bred for their fur, these little beasts will have the daunting task of chasing pests from public parks. Cities like Toulouse, Clichy-la-Garenne, Gennevilliers and even Vitry-sur-Seine already use this method.
“Rats are very afraid of ferrets, explains Aïcha Guedjali, municipal councilor in charge of pests. They are terrified when they see the ferret coming. The breeder places nets on the perimeter that he will have identified: the rat is captured and then euthanized. This allows the use of as few chemicals as possible. We need techniques that are more virtuous for the environment and strive towards that.”
Several ferrets will therefore arrive in the coming days, originating from a breeding farm in the Gers, owned by Alexandre Raynal.
“There will be about seven or eight ferrets that will intervene in the city of Marseille: Mûre, Prune, Blanco…”
Alexandre Raynal, ferret breederat franceinfo
So far, the results are conclusive: “On Toulouse, continues Alexandre Raynal, we caught 63 rats in half an hour, to give you a number. When there is really a big infestation, it is very conclusive.” Alexandre Raynal’s ferrets are also in high demand: they will soon go to Montreuil, Vincennes, Limoges and even overseas.
In Marseille, ferrets against rats: report by Hugo Charpentier
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