Rat chases student out of taxi

A menacing rat reportedly chased a high school student from a taxi, causing her to sustain injuries as she beat a hasty retreat out of fear of being bitten by the rodent.

The incident, according to Michael Troupe, councillor for the Granville Division in the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC), took place earlier this week.

"There was a girl who goes to school at Mt Alvernia High School, who took a taxi and had to run out of the taxi because of a rat. Her entire knee was black and blue as a result," Troupe said during Thursday's monthly meeting of the StJMC.

"I might talk some things and it might sound like joke, but the reality is that it is factual," Troupe added.

The councillor said his division has been faced with a rat infestation and that action is needed to tackle it.

"We are going to meet with the community, and some of the money allotted to the division will go toward cleaning up the community. If and when we reduce the rat population in the Granville Division, I will come back here and say we have done it.

In March, Troupe told the corporation the rodents have seemingly relocated from downtown Montego Bay to his Granville Division. He surmised that they have been hitching rides in taxis.

"Since Christmas, it is very difficult to get a taxi to go to Granville because I notice all the rats from Montego Bay are coming to Granville, and they are taking taxis," he said during a previous meeting.

Meanwhile, St James' chief public health inspector, Steve Morris, told Thursday's meeting that the St James Health Department will be relying on outside assistance to tackle the parish's rat issue.

"We are looking at the whole parish in terms of rodent control, and we will be targeting certain large plazas, as well as some communities. The fact is that when we do those communities and areas, we will be depending on other resources outside of the health department because we do not have the finances to carry out such programmes," said Morris.