After years of intensive development, the jungle nearby my village was turn into housing zone. The wild animals, birds and insects are probably extinct from the area… but the rat population still remains as dense as ever.
I didn’t need to worry much about the menace of rats since I moved to KL about a decade ago. One of the distinct benefits of living in higher floors (condominium, apartment etc.) is the absence of rats.
I stayed on the 4th floor in my university hostel, then on the 5th floor of an apartment rented with other friends, and the past 5 years on the 7th floor of a condominium. I can’t recall any rats encounter over these years in those places; insects were rare as well.
Things are no longer the same though… after I moved to a terrace house last weekend. I haven’t seen a rat in view yet, but their damage has already been seen in just a week… urine, shit and bite marks.
After years of living without rats, I suddenly found myself naive and stupid in fighting this disturbing creature, but things need to be done… the battle begins, and it’s going to be a stinky one.