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Rats In Our Fair City of Lee's Summit
June 15, 2012
I am one of the people who was/am harassed by the city’s bird feeding laws and my husband, Jim Whitaker, was one of the people who helped with getting rid of the garbage monopoly our wonderful city tried to shove down our throats.
Well now we have a new beef with our wonderful City of Lee’s Summit. After all the threats I have gotten because a squirrel might eat from my bird feeder, today I found one of my neighbors, a home owner, releasing a rat in his yard.
A rat! The young man informed me that his snake didn’t want to eat it so he was turning it loose! Now to back up a little, I was told that I had to keep my bird feeder cleaned up 24/7 because it might attract rats. When I stated that I had lived in this home since 1994 and never seen one I was informed that the rats are here.
Okie dokie. We finally had two separate issues with a full grown white pet rat digging in our back yard this summer and driving my dogs crazy. I eventually caught it with a nasty big trap after it dug up an area of our yard.
Yep, Lee’s Summit has some rats now. Then I find my neighbor releasing them from their destiny as snake food! After a wonderful visit my husband had in person at Animal Control did you know that our fair city has no rules against releasing these rats????
Our fair city of Lee’s Summit considers them wild animals and it is not illegal to release them in your own yard or anywhere else for that matter! Wild animals? It was breed in a cage to be animal food! Yup, the city knows that...but it’s considered a wild animal. And I was informed that the poor little rat, should it be released at James A Reed or Lake Jacomo had no chance of survival. What the heck? I am so sorry.
We are having to replace rail road ties and dirt from the area that the rats are shredding!
Are any of your neighbors releasing wild animals? Guess What? Not only did he release it but another neighbor saw this young man throw the rat into the yard in between his and mine! How humane! And when it didn’t get far enough away from his house, he jumped the fence, went into the middle yard, and threw it again toward our house and away from his! But there are no charges for throwing rats on the city laws either! And the city wants people to think of it as a destination... wow, what the heck am I missing?
Does anyone have a clue what kinds of diseases rats carry? This is so ugly in so many ways I don’t know which way to scream first...and it’s legal...and they are so destructive!
Animal control is trying to find him to suggest he not do it anymore and give him some other suggestions but said all we can do is sue for damages if we have any more... Nice! And in Lee’s Summit it’s legal to have a snake up to 8 feet long eating these full grown rats. I was told the snake wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t eat Wednesday. So how many days do you wait before you buy the next rat to feed your snake? And which direction do you throw it when your snake is again not yet ready to eat? How many rats a year are legal to release or throw into your neighbor’s yard? As many as you like!!!! And all we as citizens and neighbors can do is file suit for damages if you can prove the rats that you catch come from this neighbor. I don’t know about you, but adult white rats all kinda look the same to me!
So anyone who might be living in, or visiting in, the area of SE 2nd Terrace and SE Wingate Street should be aware that again yesterday, June 13th, another adult white rat was released! So watch your children while they play, watch your dogs, cats, etc. Animal control says that any bites and destruction from any of these rats can only be sued for if you can prove who released the rats. What a wonderful world we live in huh?
Oh yeah, just in case someone wants a follow up on the bird feeder issue that might bring rats into your neighborhood if it’s not cleaned up 24/7.... Well now we all get to pay for not only animal control to come out and take pictures of any bird feeder that even empty is set on the ground but a police officer is sent too. All on our dime, just to make sure there are no issues that might bring wild life like rats into the neighborhood...guess what...they are already here and it’s not my fault!
Debbie Pennington
Tax Paying Citizen of Lee’s Summit
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They might not even know what is going on.
BTW - I find ordinances that try to regulate common sense offensive.