Residents find mongoose living in roof

Residents in Modderfontein were surprised when what they thought was a rat infestation turned out to be a tiny Mongoose living in their ceiling.

Mr Rudolph Grobler, the director of Critter Ridders, said on Thursday he never thought he would be called out to remove a Mongoose from a residential home

“The home owner called us in and explained that he thought there may be rats living in the roof of their house. This would not be impossible, considering the Modderfontein environment,” he said.

During the first inspection of the house, Mr Grobler said he noticed oddly shaped faeces at the entrance to the family’s roof.

“Suspecting that it may not be rats, I decided to do some research before placing pest control substances out,” said Mr Grobler.

He added that during investigations, evidence pointed to the possibility that the creature living in the roof could quite possibly be a mongoose.

“Believing that it may be a Mongoose, we set a cat trap in the roof and two days later, the elusive roof critter was caught,” said Mr Grobler.

The animal was released into the Modderfontein Reserve on the same day, where it would be able to find a new home.

“Mongoose are territorial and should it be released close to the property, it would have found its way back to the house,” said Mr Grobler.

“We believe the creature had made itself quite at home in the roof. It would have had access to food and water as well as a warm place to sleep,” he added.

A team from Critter Ridders will continue to monitor the house to determine if a second mongoose may have made the roof its home.

“If we find any traces of a second mongoose we will set another trap to catch it and then release it in the same area as the first one,” said Mr Grobler.

He urged residents to be careful when baiting to catch pests.

“Always be sure of which pest you bait for. Before placing any pest control substances out, make sure the product you are using is environmentally friendly and will only target the pest you are aiming to eradicate,” he said.

Alternatively, he urged residents to contact professional pest control personnel to deal with the problem.

Anyone who would like more information can contact Critter Ridders on 0861 111 328 or e-mail info@critterridders.co.za

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