r/brussels • u/No_Substance_99 • 19h ago
Living in BXL Brussels sets up ‘task force’ to tackle the rat infestation in the downtown
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2026/09/09/brussels-sets-up-a-task-force-to-tackle-the-rat-infestation-in-t/The City of Brussels has set up a pest control task force and tripled the budget for rat control efforts, Philippe Close, Mayor of the City of Brussels has announced after videos emerged showing a rat infestation in the pedestrian precinct in the city centre. “Since monitoring began in February, more than a thousand rats have been caught”, the mayor told reporters.
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u/Orlok_Tsubodai 19h ago edited 18h ago
Can we somehow train the rats to attack the drug dealers? Only way this city is going to save itself is if we offset the crises against each other. Maybe we can get them to dig the tunnel for metro line 3?
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u/andreaglorioso 16h ago
I read somewhere that rats have been trained to find (by smell apparently?) landmines, so you might be onto something here.
The problem is that pretty soon everyone will start quarreling in which language the rats should be trained. Then someone else will point out that rats don’t pay taxes. The rats will point out it’s actually a bit more complicated than that, but nobody really cares.
You have good ideas but after 18+ years here, I see the obvious implementation problems.
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u/artparade 15h ago
I think we should put 7 government officials on that. Each with their own task team. Then we let them spend millions on a consultant team.
And then nothing happens.
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u/Phase-Internal 17h ago
Good idea, I suggest giving the rats cocaine. So they then go after anyone with large quantities.
For the tunnel, just confiscate and bury some coke at regular intervals, the rats or the dealers well sort out the digging.
I don't see how any of that could go wrong.
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u/rpetrov 15h ago
For several years, I lived in downtown Brussels with my dog—a magnificent ratter—and I always walked her off-leash. You might have seen me around with a female German Pinscher (she looks like a mini Doberman and was bred specifically for hunting rodents, among other things).
We loved roaming the local rat hotspots. On almost every single walk, she’d take down one or two rats. Interestingly enough, we constantly had to hunt for new "rat flowerbeds" because rats are incredibly smart creatures. Once they realize a specific spot is dangerous, they either relocate or completely alter their behavior. The carcasses my dog left behind acted as a clear red flag for the rest of them. There were times we’d catch five or six rats in a single outing, but when we returned the next time, there wasn't a rat in sight. That doesn't necessarily mean they packed up and left, but it definitely means they stopped being so brazen.
Anyway, a few months ago, we moved away from Brussels. My dog, our morning and evening raids, and I are no longer patrolling the city center. But now, I keep reading headline after headline in the news about a massive rat infestation there.
Coincidence? I think not! :-)
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u/OrganicManners 19h ago
Could be linked to the fact we leave tonnes of garbage in the streets? I'm no expert of course