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I received an email in reply to a post on one or another of these lists about creepy-crawlies and I was told that rats are a problem on St Croix as they have no natural predators. I was hoping that it might be just an isolated experience for this one traveller. They don't have rats in paradise do they?
Phil
Phil,
We have two kinds of rats on STX. We have the Norwegian rat (aka sewer rat) which live in the same type of environment they do in the states. They are found around the wharfs and in town. I have only seen one since I have been here. They arrived on the ships with the explorers 500 years ago. We also have the wood rat which (as its name implies) lives in the forrested areas. It's light brown with a white belly. I have also only seen one of these since I have been here.
The mongoose was imported to control the rat population in the sugar cane fields. Unfortunately, no one realized the mongoose works day shift and the rats work night shift. The most effective control for the rats is the dogs and cats on the island.
Yes, we have rats in paradise (including a few of the human kind), but the problem doesn't seem to be any worse than anywhere else.
Ric
