Graves Park Rats

[jamie0114 10]

Only way to catch Weils disease from a solid surface is if you lick it. Between 0 and 3 people a year die from it in the UK so let's not try and pretend the hospitals are going to be overrun from it. Probably be zero this year now that people have discovered washing hands regularly is a good idea.

[WarPig 78]

On 24/02/2021 at 10:46, Padders said:

What they could have done Mr. B. is used the opportunity of Covid, and closed the park during restrictions.

Then they could have had a blitz on the problem. Good clean up of the area, and loads of Rat poison or whatever they use to get rid of them.

To close the park at a time when it was perhaps the only place folk could walk to who would otherwise be trapped in their homes & flats?

[bassett one 451]

to close the park would help,But this would be against all the rules and not help familys ect,But something needs sorting asap,as rats especially in childrens play areas and food eating areas is a great danger to the public,lets hope its sorted soon.

[Jon26 10]

10 hours ago, bassett one said:

to close the park would help,But this would be against all the rules and not help familys ect,But something needs sorting asap,as rats especially in childrens play areas and food eating areas is a great danger to the public,lets hope its sorted soon.

I'm not convinced there are more rats in Graves Park than any other area in Sheffield which has water nearby. I walk and cycle a lot. In the last few months I've seen rats in Lowedges Park (Greenhill) by the Don on the 5 Weirs Trail, both canals, Botanical Gardens, near the sheaf on little london road etc.. I can only recall seeing one or two rats around the graves park ponds / waterfall woods. Maybe this thread should be renamed Sheffield Rats?

It would be impossible to close the park. But maybe the cafe should be closed which would cut down on the number of users who visit just to socialise rather than exercise etc..  Littering is the main issue.

[enntee 10]

2 hours ago, Jon26 said:

.....

..  Littering is the main issue.

In Graves Park it is compounded by bird feeding.

[Organgrinder 1,946]

2 hours ago, enntee said:

In Graves Park it is compounded by bird feeding.

I was feeding Graves Park's  birds, swans & ducks 70 odd years ago along with many others and you didn't see rats running about then.

I also worked there in the 1960's and never saw one the whole time I worked there.

It's a modern menace, due to the fact that when the water companies were privatised, they stopped their massive pest control program to save money and the council has made also

made major cuts in the parks by employing 75% less park keepers and cutting down on cleaning, emptying bins etc.

They were all warned that this would be the result but saving money is always the major objective.

It's amazing how many things we can't afford now, which we could easily afford in the 1940's 50's & 60's

We know who started this in the 70's but both Labour & Tory governments have carried it on since.

Blaming bird feeders is a council con to shift the blame from themselves and the government.

[bassett one 451]

its strange that we could spend more in the 40s/50s/60s when we had the war  debts to repay,now it will be the covid debt,but when people destroy rat traps,just for fun then costing scc money to replace doesnt help either,but bins with lids and public awareness and hygene needed .

[enntee 10]

1 hour ago, Organgrinder said:

..........

Blaming bird feeders is a council con to shift the blame from themselves and the government.

Maybe the council likes to shift blame around, but it is simply a fact that bird feeding does compound the litter problem.

[bassett one 451]

is this bird feeding?,thats new to me. around just the ponds or around the other main areas IE the rose garden and the childrens play areas? as thats the other 2 main rat areas.

[WarPig 78]

If you want to see big rats, park up at night time in MacDonalds car park at bottom of Granville Rd, the spaces directly opposite the entrance doors. I've often sat there watching them, There are loads of rat holes in the steep grass bank and they run about without a care in the world.

[katekate 15]

2 hours ago, WarPig said:

If you want to see big rats, park up at night time in MacDonalds car park at bottom of Granville Rd, the spaces directly opposite the entrance doors. I've often sat there watching them, There are loads of rat holes in the steep grass bank and they run about without a care in the world.

I've seen them there as well.

[katekate 15]

16 hours ago, Jon26 said:

I'm not convinced there are more rats in Graves Park than any other area in Sheffield which has water nearby. I walk and cycle a lot. In the last few months I've seen rats in Lowedges Park (Greenhill) by the Don on the 5 Weirs Trail, both canals, Botanical Gardens, near the sheaf on little london road etc.. I can only recall seeing one or two rats around the graves park ponds / waterfall woods. Maybe this thread should be renamed Sheffield Rats?

It would be impossible to close the park. But maybe the cafe should be closed which would cut down on the number of users who visit just to socialise rather than exercise etc..  Littering is the main issue.

I agree there are rats all over Sheffield.  The thing I notice with Graves Park is when I see them there seems to be a few together.  Another place i see them is City Road Cemetary.  I was once at a burial and there was a huge rat behind the vicar, it then disappeared into one of the broken graves.  Also there are quite a few in Asda car park on Queens Road.