“Rats” take over Viharamahadevi Park
Visitors to Colombo’s Viharamahadevi Park are facing considerable inconvenience and health risks due to the rats that are constantly roaming around the park.Many residents in and around Colombo are accustomed to staying at Viharamahadevi Park until late at night on weekends.It has also become common for people visiting with young children to sit on the ground at various spots in the park, eat, play and spend time relaxing. However, the large number of rats roaming around various parts of the park has become a problem for these visitors The rats are said to live in burrows they have dug around rubbish bins where waste is collected and around the roots of trees in the park.Such burrows can reportedly be seen in various parts of the park.
The rats emerge from their burrows at night and spend time roaming around in search of food, posing a health threat to people visiting the park.Some of the rats have become accustomed to humans and reportedly come very close to people. They can also be seen searching for food near visitors and eating leftover food and scraps discarded by them.
Members of the public say that the rats even climbing on equipment provided for young children to play on poses a significant health risk to children.