"It's dangerous for children": a Lyon neighborhood infested with rat corpses

Dozens of rat corpses littered the sidewalks of an entire neighborhood. A scourge that has been ongoing for several days in the 8th arrondissement of Lyon. Every day, residents of the États-Unis neighborhood find the lifeless bodies of rodents in the streets, as well as in the middle of squares and playgrounds.

The consequence of setting up traps in the area to prevent the proliferation of rats has become very worrying. "There are a lot of rats, climbing up the driveways and getting into cars," Djessim told BFM Lyon.

The young man even had to interrupt his professional activity due to the excessive presence of rats.

"Recently, they bit all the internet cables in the driveway," he says.

In the summer, rats are much more visible and become a major pest. "In the winter, we find them in warm spots, especially in attics or sewers. In the summer, we inevitably see them coming outside," explains Raphaël, a technician for the company Éradication Nuisibles.

Several residents then filed several complaints with the social housing provider, Grand Lyon Habitat , which finally installed grilles to prevent them from reaching the garbage cans, as well as traps, in July. But since then, residents have been faced with as many corpses as live rats.

A real nightmare for local residents, who deplore the health risks associated with the phenomenon. In addition, rat traps are placed on the ground, unprotected, within everyone's reach.

"It's dangerous for children. I saw kids approaching the boxes and just in time I told them 'don't touch them, they're poison,'" laments one resident. "We absolutely have to remove all these boxes; it's urgent."

Dogs were also nearly poisoned by rat poison. For its part, Grand Lyon Habitat reported that a rat extermination operation was launched in the area at the beginning of July. "Cleaning contractors remove rat corpses three times a week," the landlord told BFM Lyon.

More than 400 rodents have already been caught or killed in the area. The 8th arrondissement town hall is calling on residents not to feed the animals and not to throw garbage on the ground to stem the phenomenon.