Woman Living With 300 Rats Evicted From Home

Plover, WI – A woman who was reportedly living with over 300 rats has been evicted from her home by health officials.

The Portage County Sheriff’s Department explained that Darlene Flatoff is being removed from her trailer at Birch Tree Estates after it was discovered she was living with around 300 rats. According to UPI, the woman has been living with the animals since last March.

Trailer park owner Luke Hilgers said:

“The health department is looking for me to meet with them in person along with the exterminator. Just to make sure that the exterminator’s plan to address the issue will satisfy their expectations.

“As soon as we’ve got [the sheriff’s office] OK, that she’s not going to be allowed in the property anymore, the exterminator will be brought in right away.”

The Fond du Lac Reporter explained the 58-year-old woman began purchasing rats from an area pet store. Once the domesticated rats began breeding with the wild rats, authorities said the problem began to spiral out of control.

County officials ordered Flatoff to get rid of the rats by January 17. Since she did nothing to correct the issue, the woman has been ordered to vacate the trailer.

The trailer park owner has reportedly hired Schneider’s Wildlife Control to take care of the rats. Instead of exterminating the animals, each one will be trapped alive. The exterminators said they will need at least three or four weeks to completely clean the woman’s home.

According to The Associated Press, the woman’s trailer does not have proper sewage disposal. The home is allegedly littered with rat droppings and urine. Once the animals have been removed from the property, county health officials will have it razed.

You can watch a short clip about the rat problem below.

What do you think about the woman who kept 300 rats inside her trailer?

[Image by Mammal.org.uk]