EUGENE, Ore. — For two weeks, a Eugene resident says two parked cars sat along the road in her neighborhood, covered with tarps, surrounded by trash, and emitting an odd odor.
“The smell that was coming, like a weird smell. It wasn’t like death or anything, like you would think it was a dead animal, so it was weird.”
The source of the smell was quickly discovered when Eugene police began removing the vehicles in September.
That smell was coming from over 100 pet rats.
“Like an odor, like, a pet – like you’re going to clean out a kennel,” said the concerned resident we spoke with in the Market District neighborhood. “But like, it was different. It’s a different kind of odor.”
Greenhill now caring for 170 rats after rescue from tarp-covered cars in Eugene
Eugene police and EPD Animal Welfare arrived on scene to assist with two cars being towed on Cheshire Avenue and Washington Street. One of the cars, a blue Saturn, had a tarp draped over the top. When an EPD officer lifted the tarp, several rats could be seen in the vehicle.
Over a hundred rats were spread between the two cars – some living in cages, others simply embedded within the vehicles.
We asked the concerned neighbor if they had any indication there were rats living in these cars.
“No, none at all. I was surprised that there would have even been people in the cars, because I never even saw anybody. But I knew somebody must have been because of the trash that kept building up. I walked to the Butte a lot with my dog. So, I would see it, and I would keep her away from it, because she would always be determined to go over to the car.”
The owner of the vehicle claimed he had rescued the rats and was keeping them as pets.
“These rats in particular are a domesticated breed and they were being cared for as such,” says Sasha Elliott with Greenhill Humane Society.
Eugene police say the cars were filled with rat feces, trash, no food, and very little water – prompting a neglect investigation.
“Many of them are experiencing kind of an upper respiratory infection,” Elliot explains, “which is pretty common when you’re living in a tight, enclosed space with lack of access to fresh air or healthy food and water.”
The rats that police were able to capture were taken to Greenhill and upon arrival staff say some of the rats gave birth, bringing the total number of rats in their care to 170.
Greenhill continues to work with Eugene Animal Services to intake more rats, suspecting some to still be living within the cars that are now located at the police impound lot.
As of this report, Eugene PD stated the case remained open under a neglect investigation. We were unable to interview with them Friday, but will keep you updated on the status of the case.
Source: kval.com
