Tallinn Collects Reports to Fight Urban Rodents; Waste Mismanagement Called Key Factor

The Põhja-Tallinn district administration is asking residents to report locations where rats or mice have been observed, with the deadline set for mid-August. The collected data will be used to target rodent control efforts in the most affected areas. According to specialists, careless waste management continues to be a major cause of rodent proliferation in the city.

Kadri Karnau, communications specialist at Tallinn's Environment and Utilities Department, said that no centralized statistics on rat and mouse populations are kept, because reliable numbers are impossible to establish. Still, resident reports help identify large colonies.

Responsibility for rodent control is divided among property owners. If a colony is discovered, the first step is to contact the owner of the private property or the apartment association that is accountable for pest management. The city and district administrations can only operate on their own territories.

To kill rats, the city uses special plastic containers with poison. Mass preventive poison distribution is not carried out, as it might endanger pets, birds, and people. Pest control is always targeted, taking into account specific habitats and rodent movement routes.

Zoologist Joosep Sarapuu from the Estonian Museum of Natural History stressed that completely ridding a city of rats is impossible. In practice, achieving 100 percent extermination is not feasible; when one colony disappears, new animals soon take over the freed territory.

Sarapuu noted that rat behavior makes control more difficult. Rats have neophobia, a fear of new things, so time passes before they approach traps and poison containers. He also debunked the common belief that rats send their weakest members to test poison. Dominant individuals do not inspect new objects because they already have established routes and feeding spots. Weaker animals are forced to look for new sources of food and movement paths, so they are the first to encounter traps and poisoned bait.

The specialist recommends using the summer months to prepare buildings for the cold season, when rodents seek shelter. All small cracks and openings through which rats and mice could enter should be found and carefully sealed. It is also important to ensure that food waste is not easily accessible.

Karnau emphasized that the best prevention is maintaining order around the house. Trash bin shelters and bins themselves must be kept tidy and closed to prevent food waste from entering the environment. She also advised against feeding birds and squirrels, and stressed that the area under bird feeders should be kept clean, as spilled feed attracts rodents.