The Extent Of Brisbane's Rat 'Infestation' Has Been Revealed

If you’re afraid of rats you might want to be extra vigilant if you’re ever in Brisbane – a rat expert reckons you’re actually never more than 10 metres from one of the furry rodents.

University of Queensland School of Agriculture and Food Sciences associate professor Dr Luke Leung says Brisbane’s subtropical climate makes for a perfect rat-infested breeding ground, the Brisbane Times reports.

“They are everywhere in Brisbane. Sometimes people see them crossing the road but they don’t usually like to come down to the ground, they like to climb trees,” he said.

“I don’t think people like to live with rats, maybe on average people in Brisbane might be no more than 10 metres from a rat, they have rats living in roof spaces, sometimes you can hear them.

If that’s not enough to make the hairs on your arms stand up, the Brisbane City Council reported more than 3500 rat complaints across the past four financial years, with Inala, Bracken Ridge and Camp Hill receiving the most complaints.

Top 10 suburbs where complaints were received about rodents in 2016-17

Inala (21 complaints)

Bracken Ridge (13 complaints)

Camp Hill (11 complaints)

Coorparoo (10 complaints)

Holland Park (10 complaints)

Sunnybank Hills (10 complaints)

Tingalpa (10 complaints)

Zillmere (10 complaints)

Aspley (9 complaints)

Bald Hills (9 complaints)

Residents concerned about rodents can find information on the Brisbane City Council website or contact the council on 07 3403 8888.