TikTok video of rat-filled alley in Vancouver spurs debate about pest control

Mason Burns was walking through Vancouver's Downtown Eastside on Wednesday night when he noticed something moving out of the corner of his eye. What he saw made him do a double-take before pulling out his phone to record it.

Dozens of rats scurried across the alley and through puddles, sniffing around several dumpsters and rooting through torn plastic bags.

"I have never seen that many rats in one place," said Burns. 

The video was taken near Columbia and Hastings Streets on Wednesday night, and while Burns wasn't too concerned about the congregation of rodents, he thought others might be. He posted the video on TikTok, where it has since amassed over 100,000 views. 

While many viewers in the comment section joked about moving to Alberta, the only Canadian province considered rat-free, the video is also raising concerns about a spike in pests resulting from recent changes in regulations around rat poison in the province. 

Mat Neale, the operations manager for Solutions Pest Control, has noticed an increase in calls about rat problems since then.

"There definitely has been a change."

In January, B.C. adopted a new regulation prohibiting the sale and use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) for all members of the public and most commercial and industrial operations. The change came about because owls and other wildlife that feed on rodents were also dying from the poison.

The TikTok video shows "a classic caper for rats," says Kaylee Byers, a senior scientist with the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society at Simon Fraser University. But as for whether the ban on SGARs has boosted the rat population, "we simply don't know," she said.

The bigger issue is a lack of data on rat populations, according to Byers, who calls herself a "rat detective" and says that where there is food, rats will follow.  

"We don't have the information to actually be able to track rat populations over time."

B.C. municipalities currently don't record where they see rats or how many — information that would help identify any changes SGAR removal may have had.

Pest controllers say an increase in statistics would help develop management techniques.

"We're a daytime business dealing with a nighttime problem," said Neale. He says that if he knew more about rat habits and numbers, he could diagnose individual cases better and adopt more nuanced tactics.

That was the intention behind the poison ban.

"The changes will reduce unnecessary pesticide use by requiring individuals and businesses to focus on other methods of pest control, such as traps, less toxic rodenticide alternatives and removing food sources," the province said in a statement in October.

"We have had the same approach literally for centuries: see a rat, kill a rat, remove a rat," said Byers, adding that removing rats completely is unrealistic. They are resilient, and if their environment and food sources are maintained, they will always rebound. 

Instead, Byers advocates for integrating rat management into urban planning, waste management services, and housing. Neale agrees, adding that taking responsibility can be as simple as being mindful when taking out the trash and reducing clutter in front yards. 

"It's less about removing the rats as it is about managing our interactions with them," said Byers.

Burns is glad that his video is prompting a discussion about a more peaceful solution to the rat problem.

"They're trying to get by, just like we are."