Since the establishment of FVHS, rats have made the school their home. Over the summer, they moved to the garden.
For the past years, the rats have stayed mainly in the home economics buildings, the 200 buildings, and the baseball field, but recently they migrated over to the garden next to the 500 buildings. The rats have taken up shelter near the fence surrounding the baseball field behind the bungalows and inside the home economics building.
Ms. Battig believes the rats came to the garden “because we were growing yummy tomatoes and other foods during the summer, and the rats took advantage of the opportunity. The garden did not bring them to the school, though.”
The rats have been infesting Fountain Valley High School since it was first opened. As opportunists, rats take advantage of three things: warmth, shelter, and food.
“Rats are one of the only omnivores on this planet,” Ms. Battig said. “They learn from their mistakes. Rats will take a small bite of food before they eat the whole thing and wait to make sure they don’t get sick. If they get sick, they know that it was poison.”
The use of rat poison is prohibited at school because it is also deadly to humans. This makes getting rid of the rats even more difficult.
However, a plan to eradicate the pests from the garden has been implemented. The rats took advantage of the food and compost bins in the garden, but they have since been removed.
“We are going to put nets under and around the garden to stop them from digging into the garden,” Ms. Battig said. “We are basically starting fresh.”
