Chicago is known to have a problem with rats, but Lincoln Park residents say someone is making the problem go from bad to worse by inadvertently feeding the rodent population.
“I noticed all these holes, and then there were nuts around these holes, then I put two and two together later in summer when I saw rats coming out of the holes,” said David Pike, a Lincoln Park resident. “Apparently, there are people who are feeding the rats. They say they are feeding the squirrels but in fact they are feeding the rats. My wife and I have confronted these people and they get aggressive. They started swearing at us.”
Pike has taken video and pictures of the people he said are feeding the squirrels, capturing them out every day tossing several pounds of different types of nuts.
“We have a couple kids, I won’t let them play in park because there are dead rats and rat droppings everywhere,” Pike said. “I have called 311, called the alderman. They have identified it is a single house here that is doing it, and they have identified this person, and they are trying to find this person.”
There are reports about the city possibly taking this person to court, but NBC Chicago did not find any lawsuits filed. A spokesman for the city told us in a statement, “the Law Department has recently learned of these concerns. We cannot comment at this time,” and 43rd Ward Alderman Timmy Knudsen office told us he wouldn’t be commenting on any pending litigation.
“They say they will send out [The Department of Streets and Sanitation] to bait the holes,” Pike said. “But I was out the other day and counted 42 rats in 15 minutes. We are thinking about moving because Lincoln Park is one of the greatest parks here. It is huge and beautiful, but trees are dying and there are dead rats everywhere.”
It is not illegal to feed squirrels in Illinois, but it is strongly discouraged. Some municipalities have their own laws about feeding wildlife.
