Unscooped Poop Increases Local Rodent Population

The people of Chicago aren’t the only ones who enjoyed last winter's unusually mild weather. The city's rats thrived in the warmth as well.

It's led workers from the Chicago Department of Streets & Sanitation to bait about twice as many rodents as in 2011. General calls within the city for rodent control services between Jan. 1 and Sept. 19 have increased almost 30 percent over the past year—from 17,191 to 22,301, said Anne Sheahan, the department's spokeswoman.

Incidents within Lincoln Park are no exception. But the temperatures aren't the only thing helping rodent populations to soar.

They're also getting a boost from unscooped dog poop left on the sidewalk.

Rats aren't exactly what you call foodies—here's where you need to put down your own sandwich—so they'll happily make a meal of errant dog poop.

Residents throughout the 32^nd ward, which includes Lincoln Park, call every week with complaints regarding individuals not picking up after their four-legged friends, Ald. Scott Waguespack said. 

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Beyond the fact that this poop paradise attracts rodents, “it’s unclean and unsightly,” Waguespack noted, specifying that it's "why the majority of people are upset about it.”

But baiting those rodents alone will not solve the problem, Sheahan said.

“It’s interesting because there are so many neighborhoods where there’s a big rodent problem, and you go through the alleys and it’s very neat and tidy,” she said. “But there’s dog waste, and that’s bringing rodents to the neighborhood.”

One important, though not entirely obvious, way to discourage rodents from getting too cozy in Lincoln Park is to pick up pet waste.

Using ordinance 7-12-420 of Chicago’s Municipal Code, both employees of Streets & Sanitation and area police departments have the authority to issue tickets to individuals who fail to pick up after pets. A fine for the offense can cost between $50 and $500, as determined by a hearing officer. In 2011, Streets & Sanitation employees issued 64 tickets related to the ordinance, Sheahan said.

That number may seem small, in part because the unlikelihood of getting caught in the act makes enforcement difficult, said Police Officer Jose Estrada. Besides, “even if I saw somebody just walk away, I probably wouldn’t just write the ticket,” he said. “I’d probably just make them pick it up. It’s a matter of courtesy.”

Local residents can and should report pet waste issues to Streets & Sanitation or to the 19^th District CAPS office, Estrada said.

“Obviously we’re out there trying to catch bigger fish,” Estrada said. “But this is a quality of life issue, so it’s important, too.”

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