A Minnesota Home Deemed Public Health Nuisance With 200 Pet Rats
One home in a small Minnesota town has been deemed a public health nuisance with 200 pet rats.
The Minnesota home is nestled in the small town of Trommald. The town has a population of 102 and is located in Crow Wing County near the Brainerd area. The city was founded as a mining town in the early 1900s.
According to the Brainerd Dispatch, Bethany Imgrund from Community Services, notified the county board that the county was notified of a possible animal hoarding situation. Soon after a site visit was done at the home. According to reports, there was an odor described as a high level of ammonia and animal fecal matter.
The home was deemed a public health nuisance due to the odor being evident beyond the property's boundaries and out to the road. The Minnesota State law defines a public health nuisance as:
Any activity or failure to act that adversely affects public health. A few examples of a public health nuisance could be: Insect or rodent infestations. Clandestine drug manufacturing. Unsafe living situations that affect children or vulnerable adults.
It was also reported that there was a growing accumulation of garbage outside the home. The garbage cleanup was requested by the county, and it sounds like the resident took care of it.
However, the Assistant County Attorney stated the owner of the home passed away in 2021. The property was foreclosed on, and it sounds like the current resident does not have a lease. They were notified that they must vacate the home.
The property is now owned by the Minnesota Housing Agency. It was also noted that 160 rats were removed from the home last year, leaving about 40 at the residence. It was reported that the cages were lined with some type of cloth and fecal matter was disposed of by flushing it down the toilet.
In case you're curious, there didn’t appear to be an ordinance related to restricting the number of pets.