Symbolic image: Neukölln wants to do more to combat the rat infestation on Hermannplatz.
© dpa
Hermannplatz in Neukölln is so infested with rats that the district is imposing strict measures from July.
According to the district office, the reason for this was discarded food and waste, but also the feeding of pets and birds. This behavior creates an "ideal habitat for the health pests".
Numerous rats and rat holes have been sighted. There have also been many complaints and reports from neighbors, according to a so-called general order published in the Amtsblatt on Friday. "Rats occur on Hermannplatz in large numbers and on a large scale." The common rats are omnivores. Feeding animals is therefore largely prohibited from July 1. There are also orders to remove garbage and store food. Posters will be put up informing people about the problems with the rats and the orders.
The district of Neukölln admitted that previous efforts to reduce the rat population on Hermannplatz using poison baits had not been successful "as the food supply for the rats is too great". These bans are therefore also necessary. The district office warned that there was a real danger of disease spreading as a result of the rat infestation. Due to the immediate proximity to many people and open foodstuffs, there is a sufficient probability of transmission on Hermannplatz with its weekly market and many foodstuffs as well as numerous subway stations.
Common rats can transmit more than 100 infectious diseases to humans, including hepatitis, tuberculosis, rabies, typhus, typhoid fever, toxoplasmosis and cholera. Last year, the district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf launched a poster campaign against a plague of rats in playgrounds. "Leftover food - a feast for the rat" or "Wild waste storage delights the rodent" were the slogans.